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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 156 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 156

     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
 Transportation Security Administration should delay implementation of 
changes to the Prohibited Items List that do not enhance the protection 
                 of passengers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 12, 2013

  Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself and Mr. Grimm) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
 Transportation Security Administration should delay implementation of 
changes to the Prohibited Items List that do not enhance the protection 
                 of passengers, and for other purposes.

Whereas the terrorists who attacked the United States of America on September 
        11, 2001, were able to threaten and overpower crew members and pilots on 
        commercial airplanes in order to gain access to the cockpits reportedly 
        used box cutters, small knives, or razor blades;
Whereas in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 
        Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created to assume 
        control of the civilian aircraft security functions of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration and is currently tasked with providing security 
        for the Nation's airports, maintaining a security force to screen all 
        commercial airline passengers and baggage, and working with the 
        transportation, law enforcement, and intelligence communities to ensure 
        safety;
Whereas every day, the TSA processes an average of 1.7 million passengers at 
        more than 450 airports across the Nation and in 2012, 637,582,122 
        passengers relied on TSA screening to ensure that they safely reached 
        their destinations;
Whereas on March 5, 2013, the Transportation Security Administration publicly 
        announced its intention to permit passengers, effective April 25, 2013, 
        to bring previously banned items in their carry-on baggage when boarding 
        flights;
Whereas prohibited items that would be permitted effective that date include 
        items that are potentially dangerous to passengers, flight attendants, 
        pilots, and Federal air marshals, and include hockey sticks, lacrosse 
        sticks, golf clubs, and, more alarmingly, small knives;
Whereas on April 9, 2013, the Nation was reminded of the terrible harm that 
        small knives can inflict on victims when a mass stabbing occurred on the 
        campus of Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, during which the suspect 
        used a razor utility knife and caused injuries, including lacerations of 
        the face and neck, to 14 people;
Whereas the TSA's decision to allow these items was made without a formal 
        engagement process and without the consultation of members of the 
        Homeland Security Committee or its Subcommittee on Transportation 
        Security, the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, or the various 
        stakeholders in the air transit industry that will be directly affected 
        by this change;
Whereas the American public, air travel industry stakeholders, and Federal air 
        marshals have expressed strong disapproval of the impending Prohibited 
        Items List changes, and their lives and well-being would be placed in 
        jeopardy as a result of the changes; and
Whereas the $1,270,000,000 in estimated sequestration cuts currently in effect 
        at the TSA exposes the agency to vulnerabilities and facing increased 
        security risks due to potential furloughs, hiring freezes, and layoffs 
        of critical personnel, including transportation security officers and 
        Federal air marshals, as well as the elimination of the Crew Member Self 
        Defense Training Program: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the House of Representatives disapproves of the 
        Transportation Security Administration's decision to modify the 
        prohibited items list, set to take effect on April 25, 2013, 
        that would allow passengers to bring small knives in their 
        carry-on baggage; and
            (2) the Transportation Security Administration's 
        implementation of those changes to its Prohibited Items List 
        should be delayed indefinitely until such time that the agency 
        conducts a formal engagement process involving all of the 
        affected stakeholders and has meaningful consultations with 
        affected air travel industry stakeholders, including flight 
        attendants.
                                 <all>
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