Timothy Roemer: “one of the important accomplishments of this bill is that it focuses the FAA exclusively on safety, a matter of renewed…”

“one of the important accomplishments of this bill is that it focuses the FAA exclusively on safety, a matter of renewed concern in this country. The conference report includes a number of provisions similar to the Vice President's Aviation Security and Antiterrorism Commission. These include requiring airlines and airports to conduct background checks-- in some cases, criminal background checks--of all personnel who would screen passengers, baggage, or cargo; and requires the FAA to certify companies that provide security screening, and to develop uniform performance standards for the training and testing of security screeners. While these steps are welcome and needed, they should be considered a beginning. The FAA should establish performance milestones that are attached to the development of technology. They should conduct a classified review of which airports are the safest, and immediately take steps to bring other airports up to speed using the safest airports as working models. The FAA should be implementing a long-term strategy taking into consideration all of the Vice President's recommendations, including any followup report that the Commission may have in the coming months. Although the bill requires the FAA to use existing technology for explosives detection even if the technology has not been perfected, the FAA gets to decide whether such technology provides a benefit. The FAA should accept technology even of minimal benefit.…”