    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 9, 1996]
    [Pages 1793-1795]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996
    October 9, 1996

        Thank you, Doug Smith, for your very moving remarks, for your
    recognition of the contributions of others, and for your own constant,
    brave efforts to help this day come to pass. And I thank all the family
    members who are here for your efforts to go beyond your own personal
    suffering to make something positive happen for our country in the
    future. Thank you, Madam

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    Attorney General, for your strong support and your leadership in this
    regard; to OMB Director Raines; Congressman Duncan, thank you, sir, for
    your leadership, for the fine work you did; to the FAA Administrator,
    David Hinson, who is here.
        I'd like to say a special word of thanks to Admiral Edward
    Kristensen and Coast Guard Commander Ken Burgess, who supervised the
    recovery efforts for TWA 800. And I hope they will thank the Navy divers
    and the men and women of the Coast Guard who have worked so long and
    hard off Long Island. To Deputy Secretary Mort Downey of Transportation;
    Vice Chairman of the NTSB, Bob Francis. To all of you, thank you for
    being here.
        Today I am pleased to sign the Federal Aviation Administration's
    authorization bill that will address the concerns Doug Smith expressed
    so movingly. It will improve the security of air travel. It will carry
    forward our fight against terrorism.
        Last summer I met with the families of the victims of TWA Flight
    800, the cause of which we are still investigating. They told me, as Mr.
    Smith and others have said, that there should be a single place in the
    Federal Government, a specific office that has the responsibility and
    the capability to assist them in the wake of a tragedy. This bill gives
    the National Transportation Safety Board that task. The NTSB will be the
    sole authoritative agency so that families will know exactly where to go
    and who will speak for the Government when they have lost a loved one.
    The measure builds upon Secretary Pena's efforts to improve passenger
    manifests on international flights, a priority for families of victims.
        I thank the families for the tremendous work they have done to make
    these changes happen. And I thank Secretary Pena, who could not be here
    today because of another assignment he has undertaken for our
    administration.
        The bill I sign today will increase the safety of our Nation and our
    families by giving us more of the tools we need to fight terrorism. We
    have pursued a concerted strategy against terrorism on three fronts:
    First, working more closely than ever with our allies to build a
    coalition with zero tolerance for terrorism; second, by giving our own
    law enforcement officials the most powerful counterterrorism tools
    available; and third, by increasing security in our airports and on our
    airplanes. This bill is an outstanding example of how we can advance
    that strategy when we work together, Government and private citizens,
    the executive branch and Congress, Republicans and Democrats.
        After the TWA 800 disaster, I asked Vice President Gore and a
    commission of experts to examine all our aviation security practices and
    recommend improvements that would protect against terrorists or criminal
    attacks. On September 9th, 45 days after they began their work, the Vice
    President and his commission delivered their action plan. Today, exactly
    one month later, almost all of its recommendations will become the law
    of the land. I want to say a special word of thanks to the Vice
    President, who very much wanted to be here today and could not for
    obvious reasons, for the extraordinary work he has done on this and so
    many other issues.
        Because of this legislation and the budget bill I signed last week,
    we will install hundreds of state-of-the-art bomb detection scanners in
    our major airports to examine both checked and carry-on luggage. It will
    pay for a dramatic increase in FBI agents assigned to the Bureau's
    counterterrorism efforts. Now background and FBI fingerprint checks will
    become routine for airport and airline employees with access to security
    areas. And the Federal Aviation Administration will continue the bag
    match program for domestic flights at selected airports that were begun
    by my Executive order last month. We will increase inspection of mail
    and other international air cargo and expand the use of bomb-sniffing
    dogs. Because of these improvements, Americans will not only feel safer,
    they will be safer. America has the will and we are finding the ways to
    increase security against the terrorist threat on all fronts. We cannot
    make the world risk free, but we can reduce the risks we face.
        Beyond our efforts to improve aviation security, our new
    counterterrorism measures will also strengthen America's intelligence
    capabilities worldwide so that we can stop terrorists before they
    strike. We're improving security at both military and diplomatic
    facilities so that those who serve our Nation abroad are better
    protected. We are strengthening security at public sites here at home.
    And we are continually stepping up our law enforcement efforts with more
    agents and more prosecutors, after sending the message to terrorists
    that they will pay the full price for their deeds.
        With these steps we are helping to make Americans safer. This
    legislation is proof that

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    if we work together and put the interests of real people first, we can
    meet the challenges of this era.
        I'd like to say on a personal note that I am especially grateful for
    the time and effort and stories that the family members of air tragedies
    have shared with me. And when I went to New York with Hillary to meet
    with the family members of the victims of TWA 800, a grandmother spoke
    to me movingly about how she had lost both her child--her daughter--and
    her grandson in that crash. And she gave me a picture of her 10-year-old
    grandson because of his particular attachment to the President and his
    desire to grow up to be in public life some day. I have carried that
    picture with me every single day until this day and the signing of this
    bill. And I hope that this legislation will mean more children will have
    the chance to live out their dreams.
        I'd like to ask Congressman Duncan, the Attorney General, and the
    family members to come up now as we sign the legislation.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive
    Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to Doug Smith, president,
    National Air Disaster Alliance. The President also referred to his
    receipt of the initial report of the White House Commission on Aviation
    Safety and Security on September 9. H.R. 3539, approved October 9, was
    assigned Public Law No. 104-264.