[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 126 (Tuesday, September 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9809-S9811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. CRAPO (for himself and Mr. Craig):
S. 1459. A bill to designate the Federal building and United States
courthouse located at 550 West Fort Street in Boise, Idaho, as the
``James A. McClure Federal Building and United States Courthouse''; to
the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, I rise today to introduce legislation
naming the Federal building and United States courthouse in Boise, ID,
for our former colleague Senator James A. McClure.
Jim McClure ably served Idaho for 24 years in the United States
Congress, including 18 years here in the Senate. At the time of his
retirement from the Senate in 1991, Jim McClure was one of the most
senior members of the Republican Conference, serving as its Chairman
from 1981 to 1985. Prior to entering Congress in 1967, Jim McClure also
served 6 years in the Idaho State Senate.
Throughout his service in Congress, Jim McClure was widely recognized
for his expertise on energy and natural resource issues, especially in
the areas of mining, forestry, public land, water, and natural resource
law. As Chairman of both the Senate Interior Appropriations
Subcommittee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jim
McClure was a key legislator behind the establishment of the Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.
Jim McClure also led the drive for the creation of the Frank Church
River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho, and he was instrumental in
helping to assist and improve Idaho's rural economy and standard of
living.
Known for his ardent support of second amendment rights and hard-line
stance on foreign policy and defense issues, Jim McClure was an
influential voice in working with several administrations on arms
control issues. In 1990, he was a part of a four-member Senate
delegation that visited Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to express
concern about Iraq's development of chemical, biological, and nuclear
weapons.
Having retired from the Senate more than 10 years ago, Jim McClure
has continued to be active in working with Congress on behalf of many
important groups in Idaho and throughout the country. His civic-
mindedness has also been illustrated through his service as a Trustee
for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
As former Prosecuting Attorney for Payette County, ID, as well as
former City Attorney for Payette, the renaming of this courthouse for
Jim McClure is an appropriate tribute to his service to Idaho and to
the Nation. I invite my colleagues to join Senator Craig and me in
honoring Senator James A. McClure through this legislation. Mr.
President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1459
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF JAMES A. MCCLURE FEDERAL BUILDING
AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE.
The Federal building and United States courthouse located
at 550 West Fort Street in Boise, Idaho, shall be known and
designated as the ``James A. McClure Federal Building and
United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the Federal building
and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall
be deemed to be a reference to the James A. McClure Federal
Building and United States Courthouse.
______
By Mr. DURBIN:
S. 1461. A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to require
that the screening of passengers and property on flights in air
transportation be carried out by employees of the Federal Aviation
Administration, and to assist small- to medium-size airports with
security enhancements; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I rise today to introduce a very timely
and important piece of legislation, the Airline Passenger Safety
Enhancement Act of 2001.
This legislation would require the Federal Government to operate
passenger and carry-on baggage security checkpoints and screening
operations in airports. The federalization of the screening process,
and the Federal Government's role, will be accomplished by using FAA or
U.S. DOT personnel, security personnel detailed by other Federal
agencies, or by establishing a government or government-controlled
corporation to screen carry-on baggage and the traveling public.
Additionally, the FAA will have the authority under this Act to make
changes and adjustments in screening policy to assure safety.
This legislation would require the FAA Administrator to immediately
make arrangements with airport operators for armed, uniformed law
enforcement personnel at passenger, carry-on baggage and employee
security checkpoints. O'Hare and Lambert Airports have already posted
such personnel at passenger and carry-on baggage checkpoints.
The Airline Passenger Safety Enhancement Act of 2001 also would
require the FAA Administrator to conduct a comprehensive study to
determine how best to organize the security
[[Page S9810]]
operations at airports in cooperation with air carriers and local
airports in order to secure the safety of passengers and workers. A
report to Congress would be required no later than 30 days after the
enactment of this legislation. This report would include
recommendations for legislation to assure greater airport security.
I've heard from a number of Downstate Illinois airports that support
stronger airport security procedures. However, these airports will be
asked to shoulder a heavy financial burden. For example, the Central
Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington-Normal will likely need to
spend as much as $30,000 per month for additional security measures.
These funds are above and beyond what has been budgeted and could
create a financial hardship for the airport. The Department should
explore ways to help smaller airports by providing resources and
technical assistance to upgrade security and enhance passenger safety.
My legislation would provide for additional support to these small-to-
medium size airports by providing them with added financial and
technical support which would enhance, upgrade and improve security
operations.
I am hopeful that these upgrades and improvements of a federalized
security system can be paid for through an added fee of up to $1.00 per
domestic flight segment.
While this concept generally appears to be supported by the airlines
and by some in the Administration, I think it's important for Congress
to act swiftly to codify these important changes.
In closing, together, we can craft common-sense solutions that
protect passengers, secure our airports, and ensure that our aviation
system is the safest in the world and I believe this legislation can
make that happen.
______
By Ms. SNOWE.
S. 1462. A bill to establish the Federal Emergency Transportation
Administration; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation.
Ms. SNOWE. Madam President, I rise today to introduce legislation,
the National Emergency Transportation Coordination Act of 2001, to
address a serious concern I have in the wake of last week's tragic
events.
Last week, I met with local transportation officials in my home State
of Maine to review the enhanced security measures implemented since the
September 11 attacks. During my meetings, these officials expressed
serious concerns about security coordination among different modes of
transportation. Apparently, drastically differing standards of safety
and security were used by Federal officials in different cities during
the attacks.
For obvious reasons, this lack of coordination could be of
significant concern in the future. The fact of the matter is, we did
not know last Tuesday's attacks were coming. We certainly didn't know
where, or in what form. In the future, my hope is that our intelligence
will be enhanced so that we may thwart terrorist attacks before they
occur. Nonetheless, I believe it is critical that we be prepared for
any contingency. To this end, the legislation I am introducing today
gives the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. DOT, the authority
and tools necessary to safeguard our national transportation
infrastructure in the event of a national emergency.
Specifically, my legislation will enhance coordination within the
U.S. DOT and with other federal agencies to safeguard our
transportation infrastructure in the event of an emergency. It will
centralize within U.S. DOT the authority to: 1. coordinate national
transportation and transportation-related activities of all federal
agencies during a national emergency; 2. disseminate critical
transportation-related information during an emergency; and 3. develop
and notify appropriate federal, state and local authorities of uniform
emergency transportation security standards to be followed during an
emergency and to ensure those standards are followed.
It will establish within the U.S. DOT a Federal Emergency
Transportation Administration, FETA. FETA would be responsible for
coordinating domestic transportation during a national emergency,
including aviation, maritime and port security, and surface
transportation, including rail. FETA would coordinate transportation-
related responsibilities of other agencies during an emergency as well.
FETA could serve as a point of contact within U.S. DOT for the Office
of Homeland Security laid out by the President last Thursday.
In addition, FETA would be responsible for establishing uniform
national transportation ``emergency'' standards, and notifying
appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and governments about
transportation-related security threats in the event of an emergency.
It would also develop appropriate standard operating procedures for
agencies and municipalities to follow during an emergency and
disseminate critical transportation-related information during.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, I know that steps are already being taken to safeguard
our airports and our skies. However, there is no guarantee that, should
there be another terrorist attack on our soil in the future, that
aviation will be the only mode of transportation targeted. We must not
take that chance. We must take steps to ensure that all our modes of
transportation are coordinated in the event of such an attack. I
strongly urge my colleagues to join me in a strong show of support for
this legislation.
______
By Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire:
S. 1463. A bill to provide for the safety of American aviation and
the suppression of terrorism; to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation.
Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent
that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1463
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Airline Safety Act of
2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four
civilian aircraft, crashing two of the aircraft into the
towers of the World Trade Center in New York, New York, and a
third into the Pentagon outside Washington, District of
Columbia.
(2) Thousands of innocent Americans and citizens of other
countries were killed or injured as a result of these
attacks, including the passengers and crew of the four
aircraft, workers in the World Trade Center and in the
Pentagon, rescue workers, and bystanders.
(3) These attacks destroyed both towers of the World Trade
Center, as well as adjacent buildings, and seriously damaged
the Pentagon.
(4) These attacks were by far the deadliest terrorist
attacks ever launched against the United States and, by
targeting symbols of America, clearly were intended to
intimidate our Nation and weaken its resolve.
(5) Armed pilots, co-pilots, and navigators with proper
training will serve as a deterrent to future contemplated
acts of terrorism.
(6) Secured doors separating the crew cabin from the
passenger cabin have been effective in deterring hijackings
in other nations and will serve as a deterrent to future
contemplated acts of terrorism in the United States.
SEC. 3. AVIATION SAFETY AND SUPPRESSION OF TERRORISM BY
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT.
(a) Possession of Firearms on Commercial Flights.--No
department or agency may prohibit a pilot, co-pilot, or
navigator of a commercial aircraft, or any law enforcement
personnel specifically detailed for the protection of a
commercial aircraft, who is not otherwise prohibited by law
from possessing a firearm, from possessing or carrying a
firearm for the protection of the aircraft.
(b) Reinforced Cockpit Doors on Commercial Aircraft.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, a commercial aircraft described in paragraph (2) that is
operated in the United States shall possess a door or doors
separating the crew cabin of such aircraft from the passenger
cabin of such aircraft, which door or doors shall be
certified by the Secretary as being secure against forcible
entry from the passenger cabin into the crew cabin of such
aircraft.
(2) Covered commercial aircraft.--A commercial aircraft
described in this paragraph is any commercial aircraft that,
as determined by the Secretary, is configured so as to permit
a door to separate the crew cabin and passenger cabin of such
aircraft.
(c) Regulations.--The Secretary may prescribe regulations
for purposes of this section.
[[Page S9811]]
(d) Reports to Congress.--Not later than six months after
the date of the enactment of this Act, and every six months
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
on the effectiveness of the requirements in this section in
facilitating commercial aviation safety and the suppression
of terrorism by commercial aircraft.
(e) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the
date of the enactment of this Act.
______
By Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself and Mr. McConnell):
S. 1465. A bill to authorize the President to provide assistance to
Pakistan and India through September 30, 2003; to the Committee on
Foreign Relations.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Madam President, I am introducing today a bill, along
with Senator McConnell, and there will be others who will be added as
cosponsors to the bill, to provide limited authority to the President
to provide assistance to Pakistan and India.
This bill provides a limited waiver authority to the President to
provide foreign aid assistance to Pakistan and to India. I do not need
to remind anybody in this body of the difficulty facing particularly
Pakistan at this time, as General Musharraf, the Chief Executive of the
country, stepped forward to support the United States in this time of
fighting international terrorism, particularly that which is based in
Afghanistan.
Yet because of prior legislation, the United States cannot provide
certain types of aid to Pakistan that I believe the administration may
well need to provide to Pakistan to keep the Government there, to
provide support and help to the Government.
For instance, the U.S. Government today, because of sanctions that
were put on Pakistan by law and there is no waiver authority, cannot
provide more than $50 million in foreign aid assistance to Pakistan.
They can in some areas provide below $50 million, but they cannot
provide any more than that. They can do no debt rescheduling. There are
no balance of payment supports the United States can provide to
Pakistan. These are a lot of funds, but I want to point out what would
take place if the Pakistani Government gets into great difficulty and
the United States is not able to help.
General Musharraf controls nuclear weapons and missile capacity as
well. If the Government of Pakistan does not survive, it will probably
move to a more radical regime that will have both nuclear weapons and
the capacity to delivery those nuclear weapons to our allies and even
possibly U.S. interests.
Pakistan is helping us against this battle of terrorism. We need to
lift all sanctions to work with them. We are going to need to help them
economically during this very difficult time for them and for us.
As we move forward in this battle on terrorism, we are going to have
to work with people in many ways. There is a military component that
people watch, but there is also a strong cooperative component which
needs to take place. We need to work with our potential allies around
Afghanistan so that we can go into the country of Afghanistan or
support resistance fighters around Afghanistan and in Afghanistan,
which I think is the better route to go, for us to drain the swamp and
be able to get the terrorism at that point in time or cause them to
move and capture them at that time.
The administration is asking for this important assistance. They will
need to work very closely with Pakistan. The Musharraf government has
had sanctions imposed on it because they triggered particular
provisions by their own actions. The administration is going to have to
weigh that very carefully. If they are going to return to an elective
government, which the Pakistani President and the Supreme Council of
Pakistan, the Supreme Court has stated that they will next October have
free elections to elect their leadership, we are going to have to
appraise this as it moves forward.
Right now the Bush administration does not even have the authority to
waive these sanctions to provide foreign aid, debt repayment, and
assistance. They do not even have the option. This bill will provide
them the waiver authority to provide that assistance. It means the
sanctions will still be in place, and the administration will have to
decide whether or not to lift them.
I am introducing this bill now because I would like to see it
included either on the Defense authorization bill, foreign ops
appropriations bill, or as a freestanding bill passing through this
Congress. This needs to take place. That is why I am introducing this
bill and drawing it to the attention of my colleagues. We need to do
this, and we should not be parsimonious in this time of great
difficulty for us and for them. I thank the Chair.
____________________