Airports Salute Chairman Thompson on Biometric Security Study Bill
Eileen Denne, edenne@aci-na.org, (202) 293-4537
Megan Miller, mmiller@aci-na.org, (202) 861-8080
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. (May 7, 2008)— Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) applauded Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, for introducing H.R.5982, a bill calling for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an industry group to conduct a study on how airports can transition to interoperable biometric identifier systems for airport workers.
“Security is of the utmost importance for all airports,” said ACI-NA President Greg Principato. “Chairman Thompson and his committee have reached out to industry stakeholders to help us chart a way forward with biometrics. Not only will this study help the industry reach the right solution, but we will also be able to develop best practices for administering biometric credentials.”
Chairman Thompson’s bill, the “Biometric Enhancement and Airport Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2008,” also calls for the study to look at the cost of biometric identifier systems. This includes the implementation costs for airports, airlines and other industry stakeholders, as well as the costs associated with ongoing operations and maintenance, and modifications to infrastructure.
The report called for in H.R. 5982 will be due to the House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation no later than 180 days following the bill’s enactment of the legislation. The bill does not mandate implementation of biometrics at airports.
Airports Council International - North America represents local, regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Over 300 aviation-related businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the six worldwide regions of Airports Council International.
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