Industry News

House and Senate Bills Introduced to Require 100% Screening for All-Cargo Aircraft

11/23/2010


On November 16, 2010 Rep. Edward Markey introduced a bill (H.R. 6410) in the House to require 100% screening of cargo on all-cargo aircraft. Currently, 100% screening of cargo is only mandated on passenger planes. Senator Casey followed suit on November 17th, introducing a companion bill (S. 3954) in the Senate. The two bills, referred to as the Air Cargo Security Act, aim to strengthen security by directing the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out three actions. The DHS Secretary would be required to develop a system to screen half of all cargo within 18 months and 100% of cargo transported on all-cargo aircraft within three years. The DHS Secretary would also be responsible for establishing a system for the regular inspection of security procedures at shipping facilities for shipments of air cargo transported on all-cargo planes. Additionally, the Air Cargo Security Act calls for the DHS Secretary to make arrangements with foreign government authorities to ensure regular inspections at shipping facilities for cargo transported by air to the United States.