Hal Rogers: “Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent conference report. It has significant benefits for homeland security and…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent conference report. It has significant benefits for homeland security and transportation activities in this country. I would like to take a minute, if I could, to highlight some of the aspects of the bill that I have just referred to. Homeland security. We include $5.2 billion for the Transportation Security Administration, slightly more than the House figure, but it is $400 million more than what the President's asking in next fiscal year 2004. So TSA is going to have to slim down over the next few months to hit the President's target. They will also have to begin addressing security needs outside the aviation sector, and the bill funds several programs in port security and land security and other areas to help provide that focus. Within this $5.2 billion for transportation security, we have $440 million to procure more of the airport bomb detection systems and install them with inline systems with baggage handling systems at the airports so we can get these systems out of the lobbies of our airports. There is $100 million to reimburse the airlines to armor the cockpit doors to prevent another 9-11, and there is $8 million for commercial pilots to receive firearms training so that they can carry the weapons into the cockpit. There is $150 million for port security grants and $10 million more for port security research and development.”