Washington, Nov 1, 2001 -
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) says any airline security package designed to protect the air traveling public must include provisions that federalize the current system instead of awarding contracts to the lowest bidder.

“The current airline security system is broken,” Congressman Kucinich said. “The American flying public has a right to insist that Congress respond to the recent terrorist acts on commercial airlines in a positive and powerful way by correcting the inefficiencies in aviation safety. Who wants to send a loved one on a flight knowing that the airline security system is flawed, knowing that the lowest bidder was hired to ensure that weapons and terrorists were kept off the plane?”

Congressman Kucinich will vote for the Senate airline security bill saying it is the only bill that makes air travel safer. He said the legislation contains proposals that direct the Federal Aviation Administration to screen checked luggage under the same scrutiny that carry-on luggage undergoes. The Senate bill also provides funding for federal air marshals, enhances cockpit security and federalizes baggage handlers and security personnel.

Kucinich will also support an effort to give preference to airline employees laid off after September 11th for the new security jobs created by the legislation. “This proposal corrects the bailout of the airline industry approved by Congress in September, by helping more than 100,000 airline employees who were recently laid off,” Kucinich said. “We can not bail out an industry and ignore those who made that industry strong.”