Senate Proceeding on Feb 3rd, 2011 :: 1:23:05 to 1:29:20
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1:22:50 to 1:23:11( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri is recognized. mr. blunt: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. blunt: i ask unanimous consent to temporarily set aside the pending amendment so i can call up my amendment, which is amendment number 5 at the desk. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so

1:23:05 to 1:29:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ron Wyden

1:23:12 to 1:23:34( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from missouri, mr. blunt, proposes amendment numbered 5. mr. blunt: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: this amendment is an amendment that deals with an issue really going back to the

1:23:35 to 1:23:55( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: beginning of the t.s.a. screening program almost ten years ago, the end of 2001. we had significant discussion between the house and the senate about how that program would run. in fact, the house that i was a member of at the time and you were a member of at the time passed a bill that said that the

1:23:56 to 1:24:17( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: screening would continue to be competitive and private and determined by local airports. the senate's view at the time was that this was a new responsibility that would be taken over everywhere by the federal government and the t.s.a. the final determination was that while the federal government

1:24:18 to 1:24:40( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: would take this responsibility, that there would be -- allowed to be a pilot -- pilot airports that would be determined -- would be monitored and determine whether a pilot project would verify that another alternative would be a competitive private screening as one of the options

1:24:41 to 1:25:02( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: available to airports, and, in fact, in 2004, the screening partnership program was created. the pilots had worked. the verification was that the private screeners were performing at a level that was equal to that of the government paid screeners, that the cost

1:25:03 to 1:25:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: was comparable, and that airports in the future would be able to apply to go from the government-run program to a competitive program, and about 16 airports, mr. president, have done that. i think the biggest one is probably the san francisco airport. the kansas city airport that i

1:25:26 to 1:25:47( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: use, that i represent may be the second biggest of those, but rochester, new york, is also in this program, as are a number of smaller airports. and, in fact, as recently as a few months ago, the t.s.a. was still telling airports and recommended to four airports in

1:25:48 to 1:26:08( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: montana, a state where seven of their airports were currently in this program. the t.s.a. recommended to four more airports in montana that they look at this program as a potential better alternative for them. and only in recent weeks did t.s.a. determine in responses to

1:26:09 to 1:26:32( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the springfield, missouri, airport, these four montana airports and perhaps as many as a handful of other airports that, no, we think that that program is big enough, and this is an option no longer available to local airport boards. this amendment would reach the conclusion that the local

1:26:33 to 1:26:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: airport board is still an important determiner of which system works best in their airport. and so essentially, this amendment would tell the t.s.a. that if -- if local airports apply, that the t.s.a. would allow them to become part of the screening partnership program and treat them as they are treating the 16 airports that

1:26:54 to 1:27:16( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: have been in that program, some of them for as long as almost a decade now since the -- the beginning of screening as we -- as we see it in airports today. and so, mr. president, i'm hoping that we get back to where we actually give authority back or maintain authority at the

1:27:17 to 1:27:38( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: local airport level to determine which system works better for them. a competitive system allows flexibility and flexibility allows more adaptability, more innovation, and, frankly, i think encourages the government-run systems to be more competitive and more responsive and, mr. president, that's why i'm offering this amendment.

1:27:39 to 1:27:59( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: i hope it becomes part of this -- this bill and look forward to working with the committee on this amendment and over the next few days as we continue to debate f.a.a. but this has real impact on a number of the authorities that are under the federal aviation administration.

1:28:00 to 1:28:22( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: i think this is an important time to solve this problem. it's one that was created, in my view, totally by t.s.a. deciding on their own something that the law never envisioned. i was part of that debate a decade ago. i know what the intention was, and it was not the intention of the pilot or of the pilot

1:28:23 to 1:28:43( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: program or of the determination we made at the end of 2001 the t.s.a. would determine for local airport authorities what was best for their airport. this amendment would require the t.s.a. to work with local airports and implement their desire to change from the system

1:28:44 to 1:29:04( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: that they have at the time run totally by t.s.a. to a system that would be under the screening partnership program, and, mr. president, that is the essence of this amendment, and of course i urge its adoption and inclusion in this bill. and, mr. president, i would yield back.

1:29:05 to 1:29:22( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: i note the be a benefits of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the