[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18713]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           AVIATION SECURITY

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I will talk about where we are with regard 
to aviation security. I appreciate very much the comments of the 
Senator from New York and her information about railroad security. I 
certainly agree with her that we have to look at all our transportation 
systems and, indeed, we have an opportunity to look at it all. If it is 
different in different parts of the country. Of course, we don't have 
to have Amtrak trains in Wyoming. Nevertheless, I fully understand the 
importance of railroads.
  I raise the question of how we complete the work before the Senate. 
Hopefully we will have back this afternoon a bill to improve aviation 
security. It is called the Aviation Security Act, and it has been 
developed for that very purpose. It has to do with the Deputy 
Administrator for Aviation Security. It has to do with the Aviation 
Security Coordinating Council. It has to do with training and improving 
flight deck integrity.
  This bill is an aviation bill. We have a number of things on which we 
have not quite yet come together on this bill, but I think our 
challenge is to pass this bill. I don't think there is anyone who would 
argue on the point of the Senator from New York that we need to do that 
and we need to get to railroads, but I guess there is a question as to 
whether those issues will hold up doing what we want to do with regard 
to aviation. That is the question before the Senate. Hopefully, it will 
be resolved shortly so we can move forward.
  Obviously, there are unique aspects to airlines and airports. There 
needs to be changes made in their operation. And there have been. We 
have already made a great deal of progress in terms of security. There 
is a great deal more to make. I hope that not only this issue but other 
issues that have been suggested become a part of this air security bill 
could be handled on a free standing bill so we move this bill as soon 
as it is possible to do that.
  We have before the Senate that challenge. There is no question about 
the safety aspect of other modes. We have not come together on this one 
yet. There is a difference of view as to the proper agency to do this 
work, whether it ought to be a law enforcement agency, whether it ought 
to be the FAA. There are fairly strong feelings about that. But that 
has not been resolved.
  There are questions as to staffing and what supervision and criteria 
will be required in order to have people who are, indeed, qualified to 
do the kind of work that is necessary to be done, and whether or not 
these persons ought to be supervised by a law enforcement agency of the 
Federal Government, which I happen to think is probably the better way 
to do it, and do some contracting so we can move more quickly.
  We do have questions and problems. We are talking about that now. I 
am hopeful we can settle a couple of those disputes. One is the idea of 
bringing in other issues into this bill through amendments and changes 
that would then require the same kind of consideration, or whether we 
can move this package, designed for airline security and aircraft 
safety, and turn to the others that are equally as important. Which is 
the better way?
  There are other fairly unrelated issues having to do with health 
care, unemployment compensation, all of which are very important, but 
they are not part of this issue and not part of the considerations.
  I am hopeful we can deal with these issues as they come forward. We 
are slowed by the idea of bringing more and more issues into the same 
base bill when it is designed to be specifically oriented toward 
airline safety. I suggest we move with this bill and come in as soon as 
possible with the other issues that are equally important, but we not 
hold this waiting to try to make other proposals fit into this bill.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Dayton). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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