[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 2, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4912-4913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2246]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Parts 108, 109, 111, 129, and 191

[Docket No. FAA-1999-6673; Notice No. ]
RIN 2120-AG84


Certification of Screening Companies

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The FAA announces a public meeting to be held on the subject 
of ``Certification of Screening Companies; Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking'' (65 FR 560, January 5, 2000). In that notice, the FAA 
proposes to require that all companies that perform aviation security 
screening be certificated by the FAA and meet enhanced requirements. 
The proposal is in response to a recommendation by the White House 
Commission on Aviation Safety and Security and to a Congressional 
mandate in the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996. The 
proposal is intended to improve the screening of passengers, accessible 
property, checked baggage, and cargo; and to provide standards for 
consistent high performance and increased screening company 
accountability.

DATES: The public meeting will be on March 10, 2000, in Washington, DC. 
The

[[Page 4913]]

meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Persons unable to attend the meeting are 
invited to provide written comments, which must be received on or 
before April 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591 in 
the 3rd floor auditorium. Persons unable to attend the meeting may mail 
their comments in duplicate to: U.S. Department of Transportation 
Dockets, Docket No. FAA-1999-6673, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room Plaza 
401, Washington, DC 20590. Comments also may be sent electronically to 
the Dockets Management System (DMS) at the following Internet address: 
http://dms.dot.gov/ at anytime. Commenters who wish to file comments 
electronically, should follow the instructions on the DMS web site. 
Comments may be filed and/or examined at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation Dockets, Room Plaza 401 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
weekdays except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Requests to present a statement at 
the meeting or questions regarding the logistics of the meeting should 
be directed to Judy Courbois, Federal Aviation Administration, Office 
of Rulemaking, ARM-102, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20591; telephone (202) 267-9783; fax (202) 267-5075. Questions 
concerning the subject matter of the meeting should be directed to 
Scott Cummings, Office of Civil Aviation Security Policy and Planning 
(ACP-100), Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9468; fax (202) 267-
5359.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The FAA issued ``Certification of Screening Companies, Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking,'' on December 15, 1999, proposing procedures for 
certification of screening companies; and proposing other requirements 
to improve screening, such as performance measurements and new training 
and FAA testing requirements for screeners. The FAA is announcing this 
public meeting to give the public an additional opportunity to comment 
on the proposed rule.

Participation at the Meeting

    The FAA should receive requests from persons who wish to present 
oral statements at the meeting no later than February 24, 2000. Such 
requests should be submitted to Judy Courbois, as listed above in the 
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and should include a 
written summary of oral remarks to be presented and an estimate of time 
needed for the presentation. The FAA will prepare an agenda of 
speakers, which will be available at the meeting. The names of those 
individuals whose requests to present oral statements are received 
after the date specified above may not appear on the written agenda. To 
accommodate as many speakers as possible, the amount of time allocated 
to each speaker may be less than the amount of time requested. Persons 
requiring audiovisual equipment should notify the FAA when requesting 
to be placed on the agenda.

Public Meeting Procedures

    The FAA will use the following procedures to facilitate the 
meeting:
    (1) There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or to 
participate in the meeting. The meeting will be open to all persons who 
are scheduled to present statements or who register between 8:30 a.m. 
and 9 a.m. on the day of the meeting. While the FAA will make every 
effort to accommodate all persons wishing to participate, admission 
will be subject to availability of space in the meeting room. The 
meeting may adjourn early if scheduled speakers complete their 
statements in less time than is scheduled for the meeting.
    (2) An individual, whether speaking in a personal or a 
representative capacity on behalf of an organization, may be limited to 
a 10-minute statement. If possible, we will notify the speaker if 
additional time is available.
    (3) The FAA will try to accommodate all speakers. If the available 
time does not permit this, speakers generally will be scheduled on a 
first-come-first-served basis. However, the FAA reserves the right to 
exclude some speakers if necessary to present a balance of viewpoints 
and issues.
    (4) Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the 
meeting, as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 
calendar days before the meeting.
    (5) Representatives of the FAA will preside over the meeting. A 
panel of FAA personnel involved in this proposal will be present.
    (6) The meeting will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript 
of the meeting and any material accepted by the FAA representatives 
during the meeting will be included in the public docket. Any person 
who is interested in purchasing a copy of the transcript should contact 
the court reporter directly. Additional transcript purchase information 
will be available at the meeting.
    (7) The FAA will review and consider all material presented by 
participants at the meeting. Position papers or material presenting 
views or arguments related to the certification of screening companies 
may be accepted at the discretion of the presiding officer and 
subsequently placed in the public docket. The FAA requests that persons 
participating in the meeting provide six copies of all materials to be 
presented for distribution to the FAA representatives; other copies may 
be provided to the audience at the discretion of the participant.
    (8) Statements made by FAA representatives are intended to 
facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues. Any statement 
made during the meeting by an FAA representative is not intended to be, 
and should not be construed as, a position of the FAA.
    (9) The meeting is designed to solicit public views and gather 
additional information on the certification of screening companies. 
Therefore, the meeting will be conducted in an informal and non-
adversarial manner. No individual will be subject to cross-examination 
by any other participant; however, FAA representatives may ask 
questions to clarify a statement and to ensure a complete and accurate 
record.

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 27, 2000.
Anthony F. Fazio,
Director, Office of Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 00-2246 Filed 2-1-00; 8:45 am]
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