{
  "id": "RL31150",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31150",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100976,
      "date": "2001-12-14",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:18:20.662941",
      "title": "Selected Aviation Security Legislation in the Aftermath of the September 11 Attack",
      "summary": "The September 11, 2001 hijacking of four airliners, and the enormous loss of life from the use\nof\nthese airplanes as weapons, has focused congressional concerns on aviation security. During the\ndebate in Congress the overarching issue was the degree of federal involvement needed both to make\ncommercial air travel safer and to restore the public's confidence in the security of our Nation's\nairway and airports.\n  On October 11, 2001, the Senate passed, after multiple amendments, the Aviation Security Act\nof 2001,  S. 1447  (introduced by Senator Hollings). The bill provided for the\nfederalization of most aspects of airport security. The responsibility for much of the law\nenforcement aspect of airport security would have been shifted from the Department of\nTransportation (DOT) to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Front-line screening of passengers and\nbaggage would be carried out by federal agents under the authority of the Attorney General. DOT\nwould have continued to administer the Federal Air Marshals (FAM) program but under DOJ\nguidelines.\n  On November 1, 2001, the House passed a bill that was significantly different from\nSenate-passed  S. 1447 . The Airport Security Federalization Act of 2001\n( S. 1447  amended by the text of  H.R. 3150 , introduced by Representative\nYoung), included provisions to shift the responsibility for the security of all modes of transportation\nto a new administration, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), within DOT. The bill\ncalled for the oversight of all airport screeners by uniformed federal agents but would have allowed\nfor the use of contract employees as front-line security screeners.\n  On November 19, 2001, President Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act\n(ATSA) ( P.L. 107-71 ;  H.Rept. 107-296 ). ATSA, includes elements of both the House and Senate\nbills as well as new provisions added to facilitate the final compromise that was agreed to in\nconference. On the contentious issue of whether screeners should be federal agents or contractor\npersonnel, ATSA provides that, within one year, federal employees shall be hired to take over airport\nsecurity screening services at all but five U.S. commercial airports. Two years later, however,\nairports may opt-out of the federal screener system and switch to contractor screeners. The Act also\nestablishes a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) headed by an Under Secretary of\nTransportation for Security. Within three months of enactment, the responsibilities for aviation\nsecurity would be transferred from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the TSA. Also\nincluded in the Act are provisions: requiring that, within 60 days, airports provide for the screening\nor bag-matching of all checked baggage; allowing pilots to carry firearms; requiring the electronic\ntransmission of passenger manifests on international flights prior to landing in the U.S.; requiring\nbackground checks, including national security checks, of persons who have access to secure areas\nat airports; and requiring that all federal security screeners be U.S. citizens.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31150",
          "sha1": "72e165f4a0cd60a15a6917ea6538236d97f45516",
          "filename": "files/20011214_RL31150_72e165f4a0cd60a15a6917ea6538236d97f45516.pdf",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20011214_RL31150_72e165f4a0cd60a15a6917ea6538236d97f45516.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": []
}