Security Briefs - Sept.12-Sept. 18
The Latest Headlines:
- Senate Panel Likely to Vote on Airport Screening Delay
- Delphi Launches New Security Technology
- Senate Democrats Trying to Forge Security Compromise
- Senate Committee Questions Transportation Security
- Delphi Launches New Security Technology
Senate Panel Likely to Vote on Airport Screening Delay
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is expected to vote Thursday on legislation to extend a Dec. 31 deadline for screening all checked luggage at as many as 40 airports with explosive-detection machines, Bloomberg reported.Trucks carry freight to and from airports, so changes in security could affect how they do their jobs.
Although the airports that would miss the deadline have not been named, it is believed to be mainly the largest airports, Bloomberg said.
Delphi Launches New Security Technology
Automotive supplier Delphi Corp. said Tuesday that a new system called TruckSecure will improve the security of trucking fleets.With TruckSecure, the press release said, a company can identify and authorize drivers, track vehicles and shut down a vehicle if it is driven into a prohibited area.
The company said in a release if key components are tampered with, the truck will automatically shut down and cannot be driven. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Senate Democrats Trying to Forge Security Compromise
In an effort to restart work on the stalled homeland security bill, Senate Democrats are proposing a compromise on one of the bill's major sticking points, the New York Times reported Wednesday.Some agencies now having jurisdiction over aspects of truck operations, like the Customs Service, will likely be moved into this new department when created.
Several moderate Democrats have rallied around a proposal to allow the president to suspend the collective bargaining rights of employees at the new Department of Homeland Security in times of crisis, the Times said. That marks a departure from the previous party stance that all new workers at the department should be fully represented by unions.
Republicans, led by the White House, have opposed this idea, saying the president should have unfettered control over hirings and firings at the department.
Last week, the Times reported that the Senate had agreed to not demand veto power over the appointment of the department's director. Democrats had argued the job of homeland security director, currently held by Tom Ridge, was too important to be filled by the White House alone. Transport Topics
Senate Committee Questions Transportation Security
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation said Sept. 10 it was concerned railroads, ports and cargo planes could have been left vulnerable to terrorism as focus centered on the security of passenger planes the past year, the Associated Press reported.Any changes in transportation security measures could have a significant impact on the way truckers do business.
Although the House and Senate have passed a port security bill, they have yet to agree on how to come up with the $1.2 billion to pay for it. Meanwhile, there has been little progress in a cargo security bill and little has been done to better secure railroads, AP said.
Some members are pushing to start a trusted shippers' program that would focus security on unknown shippers and require clearances for people who handle cargo. Transport Topics
