Senate to mark up baggage screening flexibility bill

The Senate Commerce Committee Thursday will mark up a bipartisan bill providing certain airports new flexibility in meeting a Dec. 31 baggage screening deadline, but its prospects are cloudier in the House, which has already passed a bill to extend the deadline.

A spokesman for Commerce Chairman Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C., said the committee was working with House leaders and hoped to convince the Senate to pass the bill as a stand-alone measure.

Hollings introduced the bill Tuesday night after an agreement was reached among committee members on the flexibility requirements.

The bill also contains a collection of other related bills proposed by committee members to improve air cargo security, identification at airports, and federal penalties for security breaches.

According to a summary of the bill, the Transportation Security Administration would provide Congress with plans for how to implement the security deadlines at no more than 40 airports that have been deemed unable to install explosive detection equipment by Dec. 31.