NBAA is welcoming the passage of a Congressional proposal to allow the aviation industry to review and provide input toward TSA proposals, while bringing consistency to the use of "security directives" in TSA regulation.

The proposal was offered as an amendment by Reps. John Mica (R-7-FL), Sam Graves (R-6-MO), Vernon Ehlers (R-3-MI) and Tom Petri (R-6-WI) during House floor debate on H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act.

It requires the TSA to operate within the framework of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when issuing new security proposals, unless the Agency determines that an imminent threat requires the Agency to bypass APA with the introduction of a security directive. NBAA recently sent a joint letter with several other aviation industry groups in support of the proposal. 

"Security is a top priority for the business aviation community, and NBAA Members have a long-standing record of effectively partnering with the government on measures to help ensure the security of our airports, aircraft, flight crews and passengers," said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen (pictured below).

"This legislation will allow the TSA to respond to any imminent threats, while providing the Agency the necessary flexibility to develop and implement the most effective, tailored and workable solutions. As a result, industry and government will be able to strike an appropriate balance between the need to address immediate threats and allowing for an appropriate public review. We thank Representative Mica and his colleagues for co-sponsoring this important and necessary legislation."

NBAA also welcomed two other important provisions in H.R. 2200. The first creates an Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) for aviation stakeholders and a "General Aviation Working Group" within the ASAC to give the general aviation community a forum to formulate recommendations on GA security proposals for TSA consideration. The second provision prohibits TSA from outsourcing terror-watch list reviews to third parties, as proposed in the Agency's Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP).

FMI: www.nbaa.org