House votes against fully federalizing airport security

The House voted Thursday night to approve a measure that would give President Bush authority to set up a new aviation security agency, but rejected a move by House Democrats to require federalization of the airport baggage screener workforce.

The Democrats pushed a bill matching a measure previously passed in the Senate, 100-0, requiring that all airport baggage screeners become federal employees. The Senate bill also would place responsibility for airport security in the Justice Department. The House-passed bill would set up a Transportation Security Administration within the Transportation Department to oversee all modes of travel.

The Senate bill would nearly 30,000 new positions to the federal workforce. The House bill would give the federal government responsibility for training and overseeing the baggage screener workforce, but would leave it up to the President to decide whether the screeners would be federal employees or remain contract workers.

The GOP version of the bill passed the House on a 286-139 vote. Previously, the Democratic alternative failed, 218-214.

President Bush praised the House's action after the vote. "I commend the House for passing legislation that will help ensure the safety of the traveling public by strengthening security at America's airports," he said.

Now the House and Senate will have to go through a potentially lengthy process of meeting in conference committee to try to work out differences between the bills.

Democrats said their aim in offering the Senate bill was to avoid a conference and send a bill quickly to the President. But Republicans argued that the Senate bill was flawed and that improvements could be made in conference, particularly criticizing the Senate bill for putting security oversight in the Justice Department.

"It was sent here in a hurry so that we could correct it, and now we need to do that," said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, during floor debate Thursday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, House Republicans tinkered with their bill to eliminate controversial elements and add popular ones, such as a provision that would allow contract workers at airports to wear federal uniforms and badges.

President Bush and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta met with several House Republicans prior to the vote Thursday and apparently succeeded in winning the support of many of them.

"I can surmise from the different comments and positions that were stated that the President was successful in bringing some members over," said Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, who supported the GOP bill. Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut told CongressDaily after the meeting that she went into the session leaning toward supporting the bill and came out with a decision to back it.

Tom Shoop, April Fulton, Charlie Mitchell, Keith Koffler and Mark Wegner contributed to this report.