49 USC 44925 - Deployment and Use of Detection Equipment At Airport Screening Checkpoints

(a) Weapons and Explosives.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall give a high priority to developing, testing, improving, and deploying, at airport screening checkpoints, equipment that detects nonmetallic, chemical, biological, and radiological weapons, and explosives, in all forms, on individuals and in their personal property. The Secretary shall ensure that the equipment alone, or as part of an integrated system, can detect under realistic operating conditions the types of weapons and explosives that terrorists would likely try to smuggle aboard an air carrier aircraft.

(b) Strategic Plan for Deployment and Use of Explosive Detection Equipment at Airport Screening Checkpoints.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategic plan to promote the optimal utilization and deployment of explosive detection equipment at airports to screen individuals and their personal property. Such equipment includes walk-through explosive detection portals, document scanners, shoe scanners, and backscatter x-ray scanners. The plan may be submitted in a classified format.

(2) Content.—The strategic plan shall include, at minimum—

(A) a description of current efforts to detect explosives in all forms on individuals and in their personal property;

(B) a description of the operational applications of explosive detection equipment at airport screening checkpoints;

(C) a deployment schedule and a description of the quantities of equipment needed to implement the plan;

(D) a description of funding needs to implement the plan, including a financing plan that provides for leveraging of non-Federal funding;

(E) a description of the measures taken and anticipated to be taken in carrying out subsection (d); and

(F) a description of any recommended legislative actions.

(3) Implementation.—The Secretary shall begin implementation of the strategic plan within one year after the date of enactment of this paragraph.

(c) Portal Detection Systems.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security for the use of the Transportation Security Administration $250,000,000, in addition to any amounts otherwise authorized by law, for research, development, and installation of detection systems and other devices for the detection of biological, chemical, radiological, and explosive materials.

(d) Interim Action.—Until measures are implemented that enable the screening of all passengers for explosives, the Assistant Secretary shall provide, by such means as the Assistant Secretary considers appropriate, explosives detection screening for all passengers identified for additional screening and their personal property that will be carried aboard a passenger aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air transportation or intrastate air transportation.

(Added Pub. L. 108–458, title IV, §4013(a), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3719; amended Pub. L. 110–53, title XVI, §1607(b), Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 483.)

Sections:  Previous  44918  44919  44920  44921  44922  44923  44924  44925  44926  44927  44933  44934  44935  44936  44937  Next

Last modified: October 26, 2015