AJR70: Joint Resolution Text

LRB-4076/1

PJD:kmg:ch

2001 - 2002 LEGISLATURE

2001 Assembly JOINT RESOLUTION 70

November 1, 2001 - Introduced by Representatives Carpenter and Boyle. Referred to Committee on Transportation.

AJR70,1,3 Relating to: strongly urging the former members of the Wisconsin legislature who are members of Congress to work to immediately enact the Aviation Security Act.

AJR70,1,6 Whereas, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (Public Law 107-42 107th Congress) was approved by the President on September 22, 2001, only 11 days after the airline hijacking attacks on America; and

AJR70,1,8 Whereas, that federal act provided $15,000,000,000 in federal benefits to air carriers; and

AJR70,1,10 Whereas, on October 11, 2001, the U.S. senate unanimously passed and sent to the U.S. house of representatives the Aviation Security Act, S. 1447; and

AJR70,1,11 Whereas, Section 101 of the bill states:

AJR70,1,12 "The Congress finds the following:

AJR70,1,14 (1) The safety and security of the civil air transportation system is critical to the United States' security and its national defense.

AJR70,2,3 (2) A safe and secure United States civil air transportation system is essential to the basic freedom of Americans to move in intrastate, interstate, and international transportation.

AJR70,2,8 (3) The terrorist hijackings and crashes of passenger aircraft on September 11, 2001, converting civil aircraft into guided bombs for strikes against civilian and military targets requires the United States to change fundamentally the way it approaches the task of ensuring the safety and security of the civil air transportation system.

AJR70,2,12 (4) The existing fragmentation of responsibility for that safety and security among government agencies and between government and nongovernment entities is inefficient and unacceptable in light of the hijackings and crashes on September 11, 2001.

AJR70,2,15 (5) The General Accounting Office has recommended that security functions and security personnel at United States airports should become a Federal government responsibility.

AJR70,2,18 (6) Although the number of Federal air marshals is classified, their presence on both international and domestic flights would have a deterrent effect on hijacking and would further bolster public confidence in the safety of air travel.

AJR70,2,23 (7) The effectiveness of existing security measures, including employee background checks and passenger pre-screening, is impaired because of the inaccessibility of, or the failure to share information among, data bases maintained by different Federal and international agencies for criminal behavior or pertinent intelligence information."; and

AJR70,3,9 Whereas, the Aviation Security Act is a very strong and comprehensive bill addressing all aspects of aviation security throughout the nation, including: improved flight deck integrity measures; deployment of Federal air marshals; improved airport perimeter access security, enhanced anti-hijacking training for flight crews; passenger and property screening; training and employment of security screening personnel; flight school security; increased penalties for interference with security personnel; airline computer reservation systems; encouraging airline employees to report suspicious activities; less-than-lethal weaponry for flight deck crews; safety and security of on-board supplies; flight deck security; voluntary provision of emergency services during commercial flights; enhanced security for aircraft; and implementation of certain detection technologies; and

AJR70,3,11 Whereas, the considerable expense of implementing the Aviation Security Act will not be borne by the states, which are faced with very tight fiscal conditions; and

AJR70,3,16 Whereas, it is very clear that the strong, comprehensive, and nationwide aviation security measures in the Aviation Security Act are the necessary prerequisite for the airline industry, including Midwest Express and Air Wisconsin, to regain the trust of the flying public, which, in turn, is the necessary prerequisite for the airline industry to regain its financial health; and

AJR70,3,20 Whereas, it is just as clear that strong, comprehensive, and nationwide aviation security measures can be effective only if they apply throughout the entire nation and to the entire airline industry in the nation, including Midwest Express and Air Wisconsin, and can only be enacted by Congress, not the states; and

AJR70,3,22 Whereas, it is critical that this strong, comprehensive, national legislation be enacted immediately; now, therefore, be it

AJR70,4,2 Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature strongly urge the former members of the Wisconsin legislature who are members of Congress to work to immediately enact the Aviation Security Act; and, be it further

AJR70,4,5 Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall transmit copies of this joint resolution to each former member of the Wisconsin legislature who is a member of Congress.

AJR70,4,6 (End)