Security Screening for Airline Employees

This blog falls into the "What the heck are they thinking?" category. Last April, I wrote about a couple of idiots who smuggled guns and drugs on a flight. That incident caused the TSA, Congress and airline representatives to discuss whether or not airline employees should be subjected to the same screening as the general public is. You can read that blog here. Apparently, some people think that is the case. H.R. 1413, a bill sponsored by Congresswoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, passed the House last month. In summary, the bill: Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to: (1) implement a pilot program at five commercial service airports to screen all airport workers with access to sterile areas of the airport; and (2) conduct a vulnerability assessment of each airport participating in such program. Requires: (1) at least two of the participating airports to be large hub airports, with each of the remaining airports representing a different airport security risk category; (2) screening to be conducted under the same standards as apply to passengers at airport security screening checkpoints and to be carried out by private screeners at a designated screening lane for their exclusive use at a minimum of two airports; (3) the program to be carried out for not less than 180 days; and (4) each participating airport operator to conduct an assessment of the screening technology used at the airport and to submit the results to the Assistant Secretary. There is a related bill that was introduced in the Senate last April (S. 1095: Airport Security Enhancement Act of 2007) that would: Amend passenger and property screening provisions to require the screening by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel of: (1) air carrier employees that board a passenger aircraft; and (2) as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of certain airport perimeter screening provisions, airport and air carrier employees, contractors, and vendors before entry into a secured area of an airport in the United States. Requires the heads of specified hub airports and nonhub airports to: (1) submit to the Administrator of TSA a plan for comprehensive screening of all individuals entering a secure area of an airport; and (2) implement the comprehensive screening plan not later than 60 days after its submission. Maybe it's just me, but how do you screen airline employees to the same standards as apply to passengers at airport security screening checkpoints? Do we now have to pack lunches with little 3-ounce bottles of juice that can all fit in a quart-size bag? What about purchasing new tools? How do we get a screwdriver, wrench, or other tool to work? I could go on and on, but you get the point. Lets just hope that if the H.R. 1413 passes, the assessments of the trial security screenings will show that such a program is not feasible. What are your thoughts? Do we need to suck it up and be subjected to security screening to protect the flying public from possible terrorist attacks? Is the government overreacting? Thanks for reading! Joe Escobar