U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) renewed his call last week for the U.S. House of Representatives to take up the bipartisan Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2016 following a new report on aviation security by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“This new GAO report further underscores the need for the House to put the security focused aviation legislation passed by the Senate on the floor for a vote,” Thune said. “Critical safety reforms, in a bill that passed the Senate 95-3, shouldn’t face substantial delays over provisions that do not have enough support to become law this year. It’s time for the House to act and avoid a short-term extension of aviation authorities that doesn’t address aviation safety and security.”
The GAO report found that the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) current operational assessment does not address the vulnerabilities in airport security regarding the potential of rogue aviation workers exploiting their credentials, access and knowledge of security procedures throughout the airport for personal gain or to inflict damage.
The report stems from the a Senate probe concerning insider threats and the ongoing problems with managing security access badges for airport employees.
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on April 19 to approve a security-focused, passenger friendly bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal air travel programs.