[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21221]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            PRESENT A FAIR AND BALANCED AVIATION SAFETY BILL

  (Mr. EHLERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I take four airplane flights a week. As many 
Members of Congress do, I fly home every weekend, two segments each 
time. So I am very familiar with security requirements and that what we 
have had has not worked.
  Our purpose now is to make sure, number one, that we centralize 
responsibility; number two, that we have one play book that applies to 
all the rules, and that that play book works and is kept up-to-date. 
That means that we should put all the responsibility in one location 
for all modes of transportation.
  We need something that is flexible, that is innovative, that can be 
changed and modified to meet circumstances as they change.
  We want something that is nonpartisan. We are sorry that the Senate 
bill became a partisan bill by advocating just one particular position. 
The House bill will allow the President to choose whether these should 
be Federal employees or whether these should be contracted out.
  I just want to say, I believe the bill that will be before us 
tomorrow is a fair and good way to approach the issue of aviation 
security. It will get away from partisan wrangling. It will ensure that 
the traveling public will be safe and secure.

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