Lawmakers push to federalize airport security jobs

Airport security personnel are acting as law enforcement officials and therefore, belong on the federal payroll, congressional backers of legislation to federalize aviation security operations said at a press conference Tuesday. "This is all about law enforcement. Law enforcement is a government responsibility," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who sponsored legislation to federalize thousands of airport screening jobs that passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month. Many House Republicans and President Bush have opposed the Senate legislation, saying it would unnecessarily expand the role of the federal government. Instead, the Bush administration is backing a proposal to increase oversight of the companies that currently screen passengers without creating new federal jobs. The House could vote on the competing proposals by as early as Thursday. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., blasted the security companies that perform screening operations today and said those contractors have consistently fought any attempts at increased oversight. One of the largest companies performing screening, Argenbright Security, has been fined more than $1.7 million and been placed on probation for hiring employees who did not pass criminal background checks, he added. Opponents of federalization have argued that the U.S. should adopt the model successfully used by European nations and Israel in which senior government managers oversee a contractor workforce of aviation screeners. But Oberstar said that argument is moot because those nations only have a fraction of the number of flights and airports as the United States. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., accused Republicans of delaying the final vote on the legislation so lobbyists could rally lawmakers in opposition. "We should have done this bill three weeks ago," he said. Creating a new federal workforce of aviation screeners could cost as much as $1.5 billion and add more than 20,000 jobs to the federal payroll.