[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22399]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            AIRLINE SECURITY

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a strong airline 
security bill that federalizes airline screeners. Airline security is a 
national issue. Eight weeks have passed since the attacks on the World 
Trade Center, and we still do not have a sound airline security bill. 
How much longer do we have to wait?
  We have heard numerous reports of passengers with knives and guns 
passing security checkpoints supervised by the companies that 
Republicans want to keep overseeing our security. These private 
companies' only interest is profit, not national security. Current 
baggage screeners are poorly paid, lack at times proper training and 
suffer from high turnover rates. Federalization means less employee 
turnover, more experience and better wages.
  Those who protect our skies should be treated with the respect that 
their job demands. That respect means higher wages, more training and 
better qualified individuals. All of these objectives can be achieved 
by federalization of the airline security. Federalization means 
universal standards.
  We need a sound airport security bill that would give the government 
the responsibility of overseeing safety. In a recent Washington poll, 
82 percent of the public support federalizing airport security.

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