Support for extending airport deadlines lacking in Senate

Efforts to delay a year-end deadline for screening all checked baggage on commercial airlines will likely hit turbulence in the Senate.

Several Republican and Democratic senators Thursday expressed strong reservations over legislation pending in the House that would extend the deadline for screening checked baggage for one year. By law, the Transportation Security Administration must have explosive-detection equipment installed in the nation's 429 commercial airports by Dec. 31. The House Select Homeland Security Committee voted to extend the deadline to Dec. 31, 2003.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he would "strongly oppose" any attempt to delay the deadline, unless doing so would strengthen protections.

"It is way out of line for the House to consider extending the deadlines," Rep. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, said at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing. "To just all of a sudden say in July that we are not going to have deadlines is irresponsible."

She said Congress should wait until September, after TSA has had more time assess the nation's airports, before making a decision.

There is ample concern among airport directors and aviation experts that TSA will not be able to meet the deadline. TSA plans to buy 1,100 explosive-detection systems. These SUV-size machines, to be used for screening luggage, will most likely be placed in airport lobbies. They'll be augmented by roughly 6,000 trace detection devices, which can detect minute amounts of explosive residue on a piece of luggage. The devices are labor-intensive, requiring baggage screeners to go over a bag with a cotton swab, which is then put into an explosive-detection machine.

As of June 12, just 200 explosive-detection machines and 200 trace detection machines were being used at 56 airports. TSA contractors are currently surveying every airport to determine how many and what type of machines are needed.

Gerald Dillingham, director of physical infrastructure at the General Accounting Office, said GAO is not certain that TSA can meet its deadline given the magnitude of the task.

Repeating a plea he made before a House panel on July 23, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said at Thursday's Senate hearing that Congress' actions to reduce TSA supplemental budget request further jeopardizes TSA's ability to meet the deadlines.