[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9769-H9770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECURING GENERAL AVIATION AND COMMERCIAL CHARTER AIR CARRIER SERVICE
ACT OF 2017
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3669) to improve and streamline security procedures
related to general aviation and commercial charter air carrier
utilizing risk-based security standards, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3669
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 ``Securing General Aviation
and Commercial Charter Air Carrier Service Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. WEB-BASED SECURE FLIGHT COST AND FEASIBILITY STUDY.
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration shall conduct a study to determine the cost
and feasibility of establishing web-based access to Secure
Flight for commercial charter air carriers.
SEC. 3. SCREENING IN AREAS OTHER THAN PASSENGER TERMINALS.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration is authorized to provide screening
services to a commercial charter air carrier in areas other
than primary passenger terminals of airports upon the request
of such carrier.
(b) Request.--A commercial charter air carrier that wants
screening services to be provided to such carrier in an area
other than a primary passenger terminal shall request the
Federal Security Director for the airport at which such
services are requested.
(c) Availability.--A Federal Security Director may elect to
provide screening services under this section if such
services are available.
(d) Agreements.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration shall enter into an agreement with a
commercial charter air carrier for compensation from such
carrier requesting the use of screening services under this
section for all reasonable costs in addition to overtime
costs that are incurred in the provision of such services.
(2) Availability.--Any compensation received by the
Transportation Security Administration pursuant to an
agreement under this subsection shall be credited to the
account used in connection with the provision of the
screening services that are the subject of such agreement,
notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 4. REPORT ON GENERAL AVIATION SECURITY AND SELECT
AVIATION SECURITY TOPICS.
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration, in consultation with the Aviation Security
Advisory Committee, shall, consistent with the requirements
of paragraphs (6) and (7) of section 44946(b) of title 49,
United States Code, submit to the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an
implementation plan, including an implementation schedule,
for any of the following recommendations that were adopted by
the Aviation Security Advisory Committee and with which the
Administrator has concurred before the date of the enactment
of this Act:
(1) The recommendation regarding general aviation access to
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as adopted on
February 17, 2015.
(2) The recommendation regarding the vetting of persons
seeking flight training in the United States, as adopted on
July 28, 2016.
(3) Any other such recommendations relevant to the security
of general aviation adopted before the date of the enactment
of this Act.
SEC. 5. DESIGNATED STAFFING FOR GENERAL AVIATION.
The Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration is authorized to designate not fewer than one
full time employee of the Administration to be responsible
for engagement with general aviation stakeholders and manage
issues related to general aviation.
SEC. 6. SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration, in consultation with the Aviation Security
Advisory Committee, shall provide to the Committee on
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate a report on the feasibility of requiring security
threat assessments for all candidates seeking flight school
training in the operation of any aircraft having a maximum
certificated takeoff weight of more than 12,500 pounds to
further enhance the vetting of persons seeking such training
in the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Estes) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.
General Leave
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to represent the Fourth District of Kansas.
My hometown, Wichita, Kansas, is proud to be known as The Air Capital
of the World.
Over 100 years ago, Clyde Cessna began manufacturing planes outside
of Wichita. Since then, Wichita has grown to be the leading center for
aviation manufacturing around the world. In fact, 67 percent of the
world's embedded general aviation fleet is manufactured in Kansas. We
are proud of the work we do in Wichita, and general aviation has a good
home in Kansas.
I worked for many years in the general aviation industry as a process
improvement engineer. That is why I am putting forward this important
piece of legislation that will help ensure general aviation remains
safe and secure.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 3669, the Securing
General Aviation and Commercial Charter Air Carrier Service Act.
General aviation, which includes all noncommercial flights and
commercial charters, accounts for nearly two-thirds of all towered
operations in the United States. This does not account for the
thousands of untowered operations in the United States that are only
served by the general aviation community.
However, general aviation and commercial charter air service
represent a small fraction of TSA's stakeholder community, causing
their issues and concerns to fall to the bottom of the agency's
priorities. This bill seeks to elevate some of these important but
often overlooked security issues. The general aviation community has
important safety concerns that deserve to be heard and acted upon by
TSA.
Commercial charters are forced to use antiquated and unsecure systems
to ensure their passengers' safety. Currently, the software needed to
connect to TSA's Secure Flight system for vetting passengers costs tens
of thousands of dollars. Commercial airlines serving 2\1/2\ million
passengers a day can easily adopt the software; However, smaller
operators do not have the passenger volume to absorb the cost.
Currently, TSA emails commercial charter operators large datasets in
spreadsheet format that their operators must then check against
passenger manifests. This unsecure method presents a serious security
risk for this data, which could include sensitive personal information.
I have heard from commercial charter operators that access to the
Secure Flight system is a top priority so that they can ensure the
safety of the airspace and their passengers. TSA should explore
creating a web-based program that these operators could access that
would have realtime passenger vetting information and would prevent the
unintended distribution of sensitive security information.
Currently, private charter air carriers must use their own flight
crews or private screening companies to screen passengers. In certain
instances, these carriers would like to occasionally use on- or off-
duty TSA agents to screen passengers due to the expertise and training
that these agents possess. However, when private charters are performed
on short notice, carriers are unable to bring off-duty TSA screeners
into their own program due to certain FAA regulations. Language in this
bill would allow private charters the flexibility to request and pay
for this service without cost to the taxpayer.
Additionally, the Aviation Security Advisory Committee has approved
several recommendations regarding improvements to security rules and
regulations for general aviation and commercial charter air carrier
programs. These important recommendations have yet to be implemented by
TSA. This legislation requires TSA to develop an implementation plan
and
[[Page H9770]]
timeline in which to execute these outstanding recommendations.
The final issue this bill addresses is a lack of a full-time subject
matter expert at TSA to interact with general aviation stakeholders and
handle general aviation security issues. The industry has been forced
to rely on individuals who are often given this portfolio temporarily
and struggles to find a reliable point of contact for matters that
arise. This bill authorizes the appointment of a full-time employee to
handle this portfolio, thus giving the industry a knowledgeable and
reliable liaison with TSA.
General aviation and the commercial air charter industry are
important components of the aviation community. I believe that their
important safety concerns deserve to be heard and acted upon by TSA.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his help and assistance. I urge
all Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3669, the
Securing General Aviation and Commercial Charter Air Carrier Service
Act of 2017, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, general aviation flights, such as those that fly out of
Compton/Woodley Airport in my district, are integral to our Nation's
aviation system.
The Securing General Aviation and Commercial Charter Air Carrier
Service Act of 2017 seeks to improve and streamline security measures
for general aviation and commercial charter air carriers. Importantly,
H.R. 3669 incorporates two key Democratic amendments that were adopted
with bipartisan support.
{time} 1700
First, an amendment from the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson
Coleman) ensures that the Aviation Security Advisory Committee can
continue to operate independently and clarifies that the TSA
Administrator retains the authority to make security decisions.
As amended, the bill would drive TSA to move swiftly to act upon
recommendations, with which it concurs, that the TSA's advisory
committee issued regarding general aviation security.
Secondly, the bill incorporates an amendment by Representative Bennie
Thompson, our ranking member, to require TSA to conduct a feasibility
study of requiring security threat assessments for all candidates
seeking flight school training to operate large aircraft. Such a study
would help inform our efforts in Congress to push TSA towards more
effective and comprehensive vetting of flight students.
Under current TSA procedures, a student seeking flight training on
aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds is not always vetted against
the terrorist watch list prior to the commencement of such training.
Sixteen years after 9/11 attacks, more must be done to block security
loopholes that were exploited by the 9/11 hijackers. Making sure that
anyone who wishes to pilot a large plane is subject to the same level
of vetting that a passenger who boards the plane would receive is
common sense.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Katko).
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3669, the
Securing General Aviation and Commercial Charter Air Carrier Service
Act of 2017, which has been championed by my good friend and colleague,
Mr. Estes.
As chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective
Security, I appreciate the significant security challenges facing all
modes of America's transportation systems, including the often
overlooked general aviation and commercial charter sectors.
As we saw this morning with the terrorist attack in New York City
against a surface transportation hub, large commercial airliners are
not the only target on terrorists' minds, and we must not allow
ourselves to be negligent towards the security of all sectors of
transportation security.
During his short time in Congress, Congressman Estes has quickly
become one of the most forward-leaning members of the Homeland Security
Committee on issues relating to aviation security. Mr. Estes'
legislation will make significant strides in closing security
vulnerabilities in general aviation's ability to screen and vet
passengers and crew, while better protecting individuals' personally
identifiable information from potential exploitation.
Additionally, this bill will hold the Transportation Security
Administration accountable to important security recommendations from
the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, including those relating to
the security vetting for flight school applicants in the United States.
This bill will ensure that the general aviation community, which is
often overlooked by TSA, will have a voice within the agency by
requiring TSA to designate personnel to be responsible for stakeholder
engagement within the general aviation community.
Mr. Speaker, I was honored to have Representative Estes join me and
other bipartisan colleagues on a recent congressional delegation to the
Middle East and Europe where we examined a number of aviation security
threats and mitigation efforts. Our delegation, combined with our
continuous oversight efforts at home, have provided with us a stark,
firsthand understanding of the security vulnerabilities facing our
Nation's aviation systems.
Because of this, I am extremely pleased that Mr. Estes' bill is being
considered here before the House today. I urge my colleagues to support
the bill and our efforts to improve the security of American aviation.
Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself
such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3669, is a sensible piece of legislation that seeks
to ensure general aviation transportation in our country is secure.
H.R. 3669 includes language which passed the House in a bipartisan
fashion as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization
Act to ensure available TSA resources can be used to assist in securing
commercial charter flights.
The bill also incorporates Democratic amendments to ensure the
independence of the ASAC and to push TSA to study flight school student
vetting. While large commercial aircraft operations receive the
majority of TSA's attention and resources, we must not ignore the
damage that could be inflicted by a terrorist attack on a general
aviation flight.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3669, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3669, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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