House authorization bill does not include airline fee hike

A proposed Homeland Security Department authorization bill does not include the Bush administration's proposal to raise airline ticket fees to $8 from $5 to provide an additional $2 billion, according to a copy sent Tuesday to House Homeland Security Committee members' offices.

Appropriators have said the fee hike must be authorized by Congress before they could include the revenue in the fiscal 2006 Homeland Security appropriations bill. But several lawmakers have objected to the idea, including Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. The committee plans to introduce a stand-alone bill to overhaul the Transportation Security Administration, which charges the fees to fund its security programs, and would address the fee hike in that bill, an aide said Tuesday.

Even without the ticket fee proposal, the House proposal would authorize $34.2 billion for the department. The Bush administration requested a total of $41.1 billion for the department for fiscal 2006, with the ticket fee increase and special funding for the Bioshield boosting its request above the $30.6 billion proposed for the department's core programs.

The Homeland Security Committee's proposal would authorize an increase of $1.9 billion to hire 2,000 more border agents. The administration has said it would only pay for 200 more agents, despite supporting legislation last year to authorize hiring more. The bill also would authorize $634.7 million for management and operations; $500 million for critical infrastructure grants; $294.5 million for research and development; $826.9 million for a new office to coordinate the department's screening operations and $100 million for technology to detect weapons of mass destruction. While the committee can authorize total funding for those programs, appropriators ultimately will decide how much of those amounts will be spent.

The committee bill also would not authorize a recent proposal to merge the department's border patrol offices with the immigration and law enforcement division, calling instead for reports on the option.

"The current structure has resulted in less cooperation and information sharing between these two critical functions than is desirable," reads the bill's findings section. "[A]nd has caused operational and administration difficulties that are hampering efforts to secure our borders."

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., could offer an amendment at Wednesday's markup to require that merger, according to aides. But Homeland Security Chairman Cox has said he would like to wait until new Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff finishes a comprehensive review of the department and proposes organizational changes.