John B. Breaux: “I would like to clarify a provision of the omnibus appropriations bill that was included as a result of legislation I…”

“I would like to clarify a provision of the omnibus appropriations bill that was included as a result of legislation I have been working on since the last Congress. In the transportation section of the omnibus, language was included to help provide for tighter restrictions on the waiver process currently in place at the Transportation Security Administration. Specifically, with this language I was seeking to make sure that venues, events and stadiums across the country are safe for the thousands in attendance. However, there are certain airships which are particularly well suited to assist law enforcement in providing sustained airborne surveillance over and around stadium or other events. It was my intention when crafting this language that blimps operating in this capacity should not be prevented from applying for a waiver from TSA. In fact, under the legislation, the Secretary may grant a waiver for blimps which are being operated for event safety or security, including those which are capable of providing immediate on-call airborne security camera surveillance services at the stadium or event. It was never my intention to prevent this type of security enhancement from being utilized because these types of airships can and do provide significant security protections for large venue events.”