Senate Passes Ayotte Airport Security Amendment

Press Release

During debate on legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. Senate today approved an amendment that U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte helped introduce to strengthen airport security. Ayotte introduced the amendment with Senators John Thune (R-SD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and it includes provisions from their standalone legislation, the Airport Security Enhancement and Oversight Act. Ayotte is a member of the Commerce Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security.

"In light of growing security threats to our nation and American travelers, I'm pleased the Senate today overwhelmingly passed our amendment to strengthen airport security," said Ayotte. "We recently learned of serious gaps in the airport employee screening process that highlighted employees with potential connections to terrorism in airports as close as Logan International in Boston. This legislation responds to those gaps and takes other steps to keep travelers safe by strengthening the airport employee screening process, safeguarding passengers in non-secure airport areas, and strengthening information sharing efforts regarding passenger name records."

Highlights of the amendment include:

* Strengthening airport employee screening process: Based on the senators' standalone legislation, this provision would enhance requirements and vetting for airport employees, expand the use of random and physical inspections of airport employees in secure areas, and require a review of perimeter security.

* Safeguarding passengers in non-secure airport areas: Following the attacks in non-secured areas of the Brussels airport, this provision would seek to reduce crowds waiting for security screenings by vetting passengers before they arrive and expanding the TSA PreCheck program.

* Securing international flights bound for the US: This provision would expand information sharing between the US and other countries to better equip those countries with security tools and equipment on direct flights to the US. It would also require a security risk assessment of all airports with nonstop flights into the US, and consider terrorism-related factors and the extent to which the foreign government of the country in which that airport is located shares passenger name records.

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