[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 21850-21851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     CREATING SAFER AIRLINE TRAVEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dan Miller of Florida). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I do not come often to the well of the House, 
but today I feel it is essential that I address both my fellow 
colleagues here today and the American people because we are now in the 
process of considering airport security. And the debate, in my opinion, 
has degenerated to do we, in fact, hire Federal workers or do we hire 
non-Federal workers when, in fact, the House of Representatives and the 
Senate clearly agree on two things that are existing today.
  One is that we need to up and improve the standards; secondly, that 
the existing contractors who are doing the job today, that is supposed 
to result in our safety in the air, are not doing their job properly.
  Only yesterday when Chicago was proven to be a hopeless sieve, and 
other cities when it was shown that these workers, many of them, most 
of them not citizens, operated by a foreign corporation that does not 
even ensure that the background checks are done, even after paying a 
huge fine, they continue to not do the background checks. They continue 
to not meet the requirements that will lead to America's safety.
  I get on an airplane virtually every week. I have over 100,000 miles 
this year alone going back and forth to my district. I as much as any 
other member of this great Nation have a vested interest in airline 
safety, as do all of my colleagues here today and on the other side of 
the House.
  There is no question that we must act and act immediately. From this 
body we do not call on the administration to specific action, but I 
call on all of us in government to immediately fire these contractors 
who have failed to protect us, those contractors who continue to 
violate the laws. Do not fine them; fire them. I believe that while we 
are deciding who can protect us better, I would feel much safer having 
my county sheriff standing there, having my California National Guard 
and every other State's National Guard. And I know that those men and 
women with minimal supervision on Day One will be U.S. citizens, will 
speak, read, write English, will understand better what behavior that 
is not

[[Page 21851]]

consistent with a normal passenger would be, and they will be motivated 
for airline safety. Pay them what they need to have. Get them there 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot wait until our law is passed, until it is 
conferenced, until it is signed, until it is enacted. Mr. Speaker, we, 
in the Federal Government before Monday morning comes, before we fly on 
Veterans' Day, we must have better airline safety. I call on all of us 
to act and act immediately to bring the kind of safety to our airports 
that we can bring only by replacing these proven criminal corporations 
and getting their questionable employees off the system, off the 
payroll and bringing in loyal Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask for this to be enacted and enacted before our 
great holiday.

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