From the Office of Senator Kerry

Friday, November 16, 2001

Madam President, I would like to be among the first to congratulate Senators Hollings and McCain for their leadership in getting us to this point. Without their leadership we would not have a conference report, so I thank them for their fine work.

The conference report that we have signed off on, and to which the full Senate is about to agree, is historic legislation. Our legislation will immediately put an end to the unacceptable state of airport security. Everyone knows the technical aspects of the bill by now. But our bill will, for the first time, guarantee uniformity in our Nation's aviation security. The bill creates a seamless web of improved security, so that passengers boarding a plane in Worcester will have the same level of heightened security as someone boarding a plane in Chicago. This is critical to Americans in places where small airports are the norm. It would have been unacceptable to create a two-tiered system of security.

Our bill also provides accountability in aviation security. For too long the FAA, airports, airlines and private security companies have been able to point fingers at one another without any real improvements being made in security. The Congress has passed law upon law designed to improve things, but these laws never seemed to be fully implemented. That all ends with the passage of this legislation. It is my hope that a message has been delivered clearly to anyone with any security responsibilities at our airports. The Congress has empowered the Federal Government to make serious and lasting improvements in airport security. We have provided all the necessary tools to improve the screening of people and their bags. We must now use those tools to make the American people as safe as possible when they fly.

We have also placed, through passage of this bill, a renewed confidence in the Federal Government to perform vital national security functions. No one questions the superior job that the 36,000 men and women of the Coast Guard do in protecting our ports. No one doubts that the Customs Bureau does a fine job of inspecting trucks, planes and ships that unload cargo in the United States. But many people will be watching closely as Federal managers, supervisors and, ultimately, screeners, begin to protect our airports. They must know that the flying public will be watching them closely, and they must not fail.

Equally important as improving the quality of screeners, we recognize the need to improve the technology used in airport security. Technology can be a great ally to us, and this legislation places a great emphasis on investing in research and development. We authorize grants for the development of new technology to improve security. With new technologies, we enhance our ability to authenticate passenger and employee identification, our ability to control access to secure areas and the way we screen checked baggage.

Our bill dramatically improves the screening of checked baggage. We currently only screen about 3 percent of all baggage that goes into the belly of a plane. Our legislation will take immediate steps to screen all baggage for explosives, ultimately ensuring that all baggage is screened with the most sophisticated technology available. During debate on the Senate bill, I filed an amendment that would have required the screening of all checked baggage by 2005. This bill sets the deadline a year earlier. I believe that this is an extremely ambitious target, but it is one that we must be prepared to meet. The Congress must follow through by providing critical financial resources to help acquire and deploy explosive detection systems so that the Department of Transportation can meet this deadline.

Finally, I thank our House colleagues who were invaluable in brokering this deal. Chairman Don Young and Ranking Member Jim Oberstar were key players in this process and the entire Senate must owe them our gratitude.