[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2608-E2609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 1413

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2007

  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1413, 
which would create a pilot program testing the effectiveness of 
physically screening 100 percent of airport workers with access to 
secure and sterile areas at seven airports across the country.
  I want to thank Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, Ranking 
Member Peter King, Representative Ginny Brown-Waite and the other 
members of the Homeland Security Committee for their support of this 
legislation. I also want to thank Rosaline Cohen, Michael Stroud and 
Matt Washington from the majority staff of the committee, Coley O'Brien 
and Jennifer Arangio from the minority staff, and Justin Wein from my 
staff.
  Meticulously screening passengers but giving workers open access is 
like installing an expensive home security system but leaving your back 
door wide open.
  In 2001, Congress recognized that while we were investing significant 
resources in screening passengers and their baggage, we needed to close 
the backdoor of airports as well. That's why we passed the Aviation and 
Transportation Security Act which required the Transportation Security 
Agency to screen all airport workers.
  Yet, nearly six years after September 11th and passage of legislation 
requiring the physical screening of all airport workers, astonishingly 
TSA has failed to implement this basic policy or set a deadline for 
doing so.
  At Heathrow Airport, the busiest international airport in the world, 
100% of workers are screened, yet TSA refuses to acknowledge the 
national security benefits of following the same procedures here at 
home.
  We know there is criminal activity taking place at some of our 
airports. Just this year alone, there have been frightening security 
breaches at Orlando International Airport, the arrest of a former 
airport worker as part of a

[[Page E2609]]

terrorist plot involving John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, a gaping 
lapse in security in Phoenix, and the arrest of illegal immigrants 
working at Chicago's O'Hare Airport with expired and false security 
badges.
  And if there is criminal activity, certainly we should be considering 
the possibility of terrorist activity taking place. We cannot wait for 
the next security breach to occur for us to take action.
  H.R. 1413 attempts to deal with the very real and serious threats 
that face commercial aviation today. By passing this legislation and 
appropriating funds to implement it--which are included in the FY08 
Homeland Security Appropriations bill--we are acting on the 
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to prevent and protect against 
any possible insider threats.
  I know some in labor and industry favor the use of alternative 
methods and technologies, such as biometrics to increase security at 
our airports. I am not opposed to biometric technology; however, those 
technologies do not exist for full implementation today in the aviation 
sector, and as we have seen with the TWIC card, the delays could last 
years in rolling out this measure across aviation.
  This legislation is not aimed at any specific group of workers, the 
vast majority of whom are hard-working, law-abiding citizens. Instead 
it is a bipartisan approach to measure the feasibility and 
effectiveness of closing this loophole in our airport security.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1413, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

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