Senate Commerce Committee Approves
Feinstein-McCain Measure to Aid Airport Screeners
September 19, 2002
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Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee today approved legislation sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and John McCain (R-AZ) to allow some U.S. nationals and permanent residents who are currently prohibited from being employed as federal security screeners at airports, to be considered for such positions. All applicants would have to pass a rigorous set of security requirements before they could be hired.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which was signed into law last November, barred all non-citizens from serving as security screeners at airports. However, this has meant that some veterans of the Armed Services, National Guard members, U.S. Nationals from Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other competent lawful permanent residents could not be employed as airport screeners.

"This simple, but important measure would mean that many deserving airport screeners would be eligible to work as airport screeners," Senator Feinstein said. "This legislation would not require that these individuals be hired or retained. It would merely provide the Director of the Transportation Security Administration the discretion to hire them if he wishes to do so."

Specifically, the legislation would provide that nationals of the United States, individuals born in U.S. territories, veterans honorably discharged from the U.S. military, and lawful permanent residents who were employed as airport security screeners at the time of the enactment of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act would be eligible to compete for jobs as federal security screeners.

Additionally, this legislation would preserve the strong requirements for security screeners that are now contained in the Aviation Transportation Security Act. Thus, before these individuals could be hired, they would have to meet all of the stringent, new requirements that currently exist for security screeners.

It is estimated that at least 25 percent of the current 28,000 airport security screeners in the nation's 419 commercial airports are non-citizens.

"Certainly, not all of these non-citizens will be able to meet the stringent requirements of the Aviation Security legislation," Senator Feinstein said. "But to the extent that those who are well qualified are permitted to continue their employment, it will be a great help to the many airports in which they are employed."

Senator Feinstein's measure was included as part of the "Aviation Security Improvement Act," sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), which the committee approved by a unanimous vote.

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