"Senate's Spending Bill for Next Year Supports EDS, Docks Screeners"

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Senate's Spending Bill for Next Year Supports EDS, Docks Screeners
Airport Security Report


Compared to the Bush administration and the U.S. House of Representatives,
the U.S. Senate is proposing the lowest overall funding level (nearly $4.5
billion) for aviation security next fiscal year. The House recently approved
its version of aviation-security funding. 

Still, between the high of $4.7 billion from the White House and the $4.5
billion in the Senate proposal, there is a gap of only $283 million -- a
variance of about 6 percent. Even if the Senate figure holds through all the
negotiations for a final Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006 (FY06) -- which is doubtful -- it
would still be an improvement over the $4.3 billion allotted for the current
fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Senate appropriators go even farther than
either their counterparts in the House or the Bush administration on certain
line items, although not by much, such as for "checkpoint support" and for
purchasing explosive detection systems (EDS). 

Indeed, the Senate's biggest cut would be to TSA screeners' compensation and
benefits, reducing the Bush administration's proposed level of more than
$2.5 billion by about $335 million. 

Despite these quibbles over precise funding levels, the overarching message
from Washington's policy makers continues to be that aviation security is
far more deserving of federal largesse than other modes of transport, and in
the field of aviation security in particular, passenger and bag screening
are most of what matters. By comparison, the total TSA budget for "surface
transportation" in FY05 is only $48 million, which appropriators would
reduce to the $32 million-$35 million range. 

Meanwhile, air cargo security, the subject of much recent chest-thumping on
Capitol Hill, would still only be funded at about $50 million next year.
Airport perimeter security, meanwhile, simply hasn't caught legislators'
attention yet. While the House thinks it's time at least for a $10 million
pilot program, the White House and Senate ignore the area. 

Typically, work on each of the dozen federal appropriations bills begins in
the House, which refers the same-numbered bills to the Senate. For DHS, the
full House approved a DHS FY06 funding bill (H.R. 2360) in mid-May. Then,
H.R. 2360 got subcommittee approval in the Senate on June 14, with the full
Appropriations Committee passing it along two days later. Next, the measure
goes to the Senate floor. 

For installing in-line EDS at the handful of airports with which the TSA has
letters of intent, there already is a minimum amount for FY06 (as there was
in FY05) of $250 million, as mandated by the Aviation Security Capital Fund.
Both chambers also agree that some supplemental EDS funding is in order.
Instead of matching the House's $75 million figure, the Senate only agrees
to meet the White House's $14 million request. 

Appropriators in both chambers have now rejected the Bush administration's
controversial proposal to raise the passenger security fee from $3 to $5.50
per ticket. As for the security fees the airlines pay, the House uses the
Bush administration's estimate that $350 million will be collected in FY06.
The Senate, however, presses DHS to collect the $448 million total that the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently concluded is due annually. 

The Airport Legislative Alliance, a joint lobbying venture of the American
Association of Airport Executives and Airports Council International- North
America, keeps close tabs on the federal appropriations process. 

Contact the alliance at (703) 824-0500

Federal Aviation Security Funding Selected Items (in millions of dollars)
FY05 Actual Aviation Security Total $4,324 Privatized screening (Opt Out)
130 Screener compensation, benefits 2,294 Screener training, other
activities 344 Trans. worker vetting, credentialing 15 Checkpoint support
123 EDS/ETD purchase 180 EDS/ETD installation *45 EDS/ETD maintenance 175
EDS/ETD operation integration 0 Aviation regulation & enforcement 230
Airport mgmt., technology, support 527 Air cargo security 40 Airport
perimeter security pilots 0 White House FY06 Request Aviation Security Total
$4,735 Privatized screening (Opt Out) 146 Screener compensation, benefits
2,523 Screener training, other activities 201 Trans. worker vetting,
credentialing 94 Checkpoint support 157 EDS/ETD purchase 130 EDS/ETD
installation *14 EDS/ETD maintenance 200 EDS/ETD operation integration 23
Aviation regulation & enforcement 238 Airport mgmt., technology, support 759
Air cargo security 40 Airport perimeter security pilots 0 House FY06
Proposed Aviation Security Total $4,592 Privatized screening (Opt Out) 140
Screener compensation, benefits 2,404 Screener training, other activities
216 Trans. worker vetting, credentialing 84 Checkpoint support 157 EDS/ETD
purchase 170 EDS/ETD installation *75 EDS/ETD maintenance 200 EDS/ETD
operation integration 23 Aviation regulation & enforcement 223 Airport
mgmt., technology, support 656 Air cargo security 60 Airport perimeter
security pilots 10 Senate FY06 Proposed Aviation Security Total $4,452
Privatized screening (Opt Out) 146 Screener compensation, benefits 2,188
Screener training, other activities 261 Trans. worker vetting, credentialing
75 Checkpoint support 172 EDS/ETD purchase 180 EDS/ETD installation *14
EDS/ETD maintenance 200 EDS/ETD operation integration 23 Aviation regulation
& enforcement 230 Airport mgmt., technology, support 749 Air cargo security
50 Airport perimeter security pilots 0 *Excluding revenue from the Aviation
Security Capital Fund, which in FY06, is projected to be at $250 million,
like it was for FY05.

Source: House and Senate appropriations Committees


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