Katko renews call for congressional support of airport screening measure

U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) called for the Senate to pass bipartisan legislation on Thursday that he introduced to enhance airport access control measures for employees and which cleared the House last fall.

Katko called for support of the Airport Access Control Security Improvement Act, H.R. 3102, after reports emerged that a flight attendant had been arrested on charges that she used her credentials to attempt to smuggle 70 pounds of cocaine through airport security.

“It is unacceptable that a flight attendant in Los Angeles was able to bypass security and smuggle drugs into the secure area of an airport,” Katko, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, said. “Moreover, it demonstrates the serious need in this country to bolster our efforts to monitor and detect insider threats at airports. The bipartisan legislation that I’ve introduced and passed through the House would increase random screenings and help ensure that the individuals who work for airports or airlines are held to the same scrutiny as the traveling public.”

The bill would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish an intelligence-driven screening model that subjects employees to random security screenings.

“Threats to our aviation sector are very real, and today’s news is yet another indication that we must redouble our efforts to ensure that airport and airline employees cannot smuggle guns, illegal substances or other dangerous items into secure areas of airports and onto flights,” Katko said. “This legislation presents commonsense reforms to address insider threats at airports nationwide, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly to pass this important legislation and to help keep American travelers safe.”

The bill would also reduce the number of exit and entry points for airport employees, provide additional law enforcement resources for employee screening, establish a congressional oversight framework and codify Aviation Security Advisory Committee recommendations.