[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 150 (Friday, November 2, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE SECURING AMERICA FOR EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION ACT

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                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 1, 2001

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Securing America 
For Effective Transportation, or Safety, Act. This legislation is in 
stark contrast to the bureaucracy laden approaches of other bills. My 
bill would not create new federal spending nor new federal 
bureaucracies. The actions taken by this legislation fit into a few 
broad categories. First, it would give airline pilots the right to 
defend themselves, their aircraft, and their passengers by permitting 
them to bear arms. Second, it would clearly define the act of 
skyjacking as an act of piracy and provide appropriate punishment for 
any such act, up to and including capital punishment. Next, this 
legislation would provide appropriate strengthening of regulation of 
airline security in a fashion consistent with our constitutional 
framework. This would be done by requiring, for example, that law 
enforcement personnel be posted at screening locations rather than 
simply in the confines of an airport, and by requiring the production 
of passenger manifests for international flights. Finally, this bill 
would give airlines a strong incentive to improve passenger security, 
not by giving them taxpayer funded grants nor by creating new 
bureaucracies tasked with making administrative law, but rather by 
providing a tax incentive to airlines and other companies performing 
screening and security duties.
  One example of my approach is how it treats employees. Rather than 
the Senate approach federalizing the work force or the House approach 
of subsidizing private security firms via federal contracts, my bill 
raises the take-home pay of airline security personnel by exempting 
their pay from federal income taxes.
  Mr. Speaker, the House bill, while a slight improvement over the 
Senate version, is still a step in the wrong direction. By authorizing 
a new airline ticket tax, by creating new federal mandates and 
bureaucracies, and by subsidizing the airline industry to the tune of 
another $3 billion dollars, this bill creates a costly expense that the 
American people cannot afford. We appropriated $40 billion dollars in 
the wake of September 11, and I supported that measure as legitimate 
compensation for individuals and companies harmed by the failure of the 
federal government to provide national defense. Soon thereafter we made 
another $15 billion available to the airlines, and now we have a House 
bill that further victimizes the taxpayers by making them pay for 
another $3 billion dollars worth of subsidies to the airline industry.
  We need to stop this spending spree. President Bush correctly has 
indicated that the best way to deal with economic stimulus is not to 
spend more federal dollars but rather to engage in tax cuts. Yet, by 
creating this new airline ticket tax, we are going in the opposite 
direction. I oppose this new tax and it is not included in my bill. 
Instead, the approach taken in my bill uses tax reductions to ensure 
airline safety and promote further economic growth. By granting tax 
incentives for safety initiatives, we gain the advantages of new 
security precautions without creating onerous new regulations or costly 
and burdensome new bureaucracies. I proudly offer this bill for 
consideration.

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