Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Air Cargo Security Act, a bill to strengthen air cargo security on all commercial flights by closing existing air cargo security loopholes. This bill is the companion to legislation introduced by Senators Hutchison and Feinstein.
Since September 11, we have worked diligently as a Nation to improve the safety of our commercial air travel, dramatically increasing the security requirements for passengers on airliners. Yet on those same aircraft, there remain glaring gaps in air cargo security, according to a 2002 GAO report. Nearly one-quarter of all air cargo is transported on passenger aircraft, typically filling the hull of each passenger plane. Yet only a fraction of that cargo is ever inspected.
According to the GAO, air cargo is vulnerable to tampering at multiple points during land transportation and at air cargo handling facilities. First, there are lax processes for verifying the identification of air cargo handlers and conducting criminal background checks. Second, the Known Shippers Freight Forwarding program does not have sufficient safeguards in place to adequately protect against cargo tampering; and most important, nearly all cargo shipped by passenger plane is never screened.
The Air Cargo Security Act would require the Transportation Security Agency to resolve these deficiencies in air cargo security through several key mechanisms. First, it requires the TSA to develop a strategic plan to screen, inspect, and otherwise ensure the security of all cargo transported through the Nation's air transportation system.
It also imposes measures that would require the TSA to increase inspections of air cargo shippers and their facilities and to work with foreign countries to conduct regular inspections at facilities transporting air cargo to the United States.
This bill requires TSA to establish an industry-wide pilot program database of known shippers of cargo that is shipped in passenger aircraft and to conduct random inspection of freight forwarder facilities. The Secretary would be required to suspend or revoke the certificate of noncompliant freight forwarders.
Under this act, the TSA retains tremendous flexibility in developing a program to inspect and screen air cargo in which it can select from a wide range of technological and operational options to enhance security. These measures, ranging from low- to high-tech, include using bomb-sniffing dogs, installing more cameras in cargo areas, screening air cargo for explosives, securing cargo with high-tech seals, or using cargo tracking systems or industry-wide computer profiling systems.
By using a combination of these techniques, TSA will be able to design and implement an effective system to ensure the security of our air cargo. Aviation security is a bipartisan issue that directly affects all Americans. Aviation is only as safe from terrorism as its most vulnerable component and that component is now the cargo. Strengthening air cargo security is vital to ensuring passenger security.
I want to thank my Senate colleagues for their leadership on this issue, and to the cosponsors of this legislation in the House, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis), the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), and I urge my colleagues to support the Air Cargo Security Act of 2003.