while not in opposition to the amendment i ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. thompson: mr. chair, i rise today in support of my colleague's amendment requiring t.s.a. to establish expedited screening protocols for passengers with a top secret security clearance. this amendment enhances section 234 by requiring t.s.a. to establish special protocols for individuals in the registered traveler program who possess a valid top secret security clearance issued by the federal government. these individuals have access to some of the most sensitive secrets this country has. t.s.a. should be able to figure out how to adopt the screening systems to take into account what these passengers are well-known. federal government has this special status, and as added layers of security, are traveling with a biometric card that confirms their identity. i'm pleased that mr. mica worked

with me to fine-tune this amendment and i urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment. mr. chair, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. mica: i only have a short period of time but i'd like to yield it to mr. dent. mr. dent: thank you, mr. mica, for yielding. quickly i want to say that individuals with top secret security clearance go through an extensive background check and investigation every five years. friends, family members, co-workers, even neighbors are interviewed during this process. this amendment recognizes the expansive nature of the top secret investigation and reduced risk individuals. for these reasons i support this amendment. urge its adoption. the chair: all time for debate has expired. the question is on the amendment as modified. offered by the gentleman from florida, mr. mica. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to.

as modified. the chair: it is now time to consider amendment number 4 printed in house report number 111-127. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? mr. bachus: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4, printed in house report number 111-127, offered by mr. bachus of alabama. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 474, the gentleman from alabama, mr. bachus, and a member posed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama. mr. bachus: thank you, mr. chair. mr. chair, i think there's some issues that may divide us, but there are other issues that unite us as members. and this is a perfect example of an amendment i think that brings us all together. in fact, this amendment is

co-sponsored by dennis moore, my democratic colleague from kansas. and homeland security committee chairman benny tellson was very helpful in -- thompson was very helpful in crafting this amendment. i express my appreciation to you. also the ranking member, peter king, and to the ranking member of the subcommittee, charlie dent. also to the chairman of the subcommittee, ms. sheila jackson lee. they and the homeland security committee were most helpful. mr. chairman, often as we go through the airports of america we and our constituents see members of the military passing through those airports, many of them are going to iraq and afghanistan. they are leaving their loved ones. facing sometimes an uncertain future. others are coming in from iraq and afghanistan going home to see loved ones. sometimes they hadn't seen them for over a year.

they are often loaded down with heavy gear. now, also at the same time we see the registered travelers who we talked about earlier, we see united premium members, we see delta platinum members and gold medallion members. we all see them getting priority. that's ok. i have no problem with that. but if there's any group of americans who ought to get priority to go to the front of the line, not to skip security, but to go to the front of the line, it's men and women in uniform. so this amendment extends to them the same basic courtesy that we extend to over a million other americans right now. in fact, this is my southwest a list member. i, because i travel, i get to use that. united members do. delta members. but i want to see our military have this same privilege. i will reserve the balance of my

time. the chair: the gentleman from alabama reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi rise? mr. thompson: mr. chair, while not opposed to the amendment i ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. thompson: mr. chair, i'm pleased to support the amendment offered by the gentleman from alabama. it directs t.s.a. to craft special security screening protocols for men and women of the armed forces. all of us have been in airports. we have seen our men and women returning subject to all kinds of searches. it is absolutely important that we say thank you for putting themselves in harm's way. and i support 100% the directive requiring t.s.a. to set up a protocol to recognize their value to the country. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from mississippi yields back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from alabama. mr. bachus: thank you, mr.

chairman. i yield such time as the gentleman, the ranking member of the subcommittee, mr. dent from pennsylvania. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. dent: thank you. i strongly support this amendment by mr. bachus. it's a good amendment. expedited screening services are provided to frequent flyer travelers and registered travelers at our nation's commercial airports all the time. yet our service men and women, many with metal items such as combat boots, medals, badges, often need additional screening. our brave service men and women are on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism. surely some kind of expedited treatment at an airport scheck point is the least our country can do for them. currently there is no formal t.s.a. requirement or process in place to screen our service men and women in any expedited fashion. at some airports transportation security officers may escort members of the armed forces to the front of the checkpoint, but at other airports no such special treatment is given. so mr. bachus' amendment is an excellent one.

it's just common sense that a formal checkpoint screening process should be established for service men and women who sacrifice so much for their country. finally these men and women place themselves in harm's way to the benefit of our american way of life. the very least we can do is make the airport checkpoint experience as smooth and pleasurable as possible. with that i yield the balance of my time back. the chair: the gentleman from alabama. mr. bachus: thank you, mr. chairman. let me close by saying this. we received a letter in the last two days from a major general abner blaylock who says this amendment will make a big difference for our military and for their families. and i hope it does. i think it's a small gesture that we can make. . i also received an email from a young marine coming back from iraq and this is what he said.

as i return from iraq where i had been for over a year, i had to remove my boots and my blouse, military term for battle dress uniform, and then a hand wand was used over my entire body. that was after he waited in line for some period of time. he said he felt humiliated. there is a way to have proper security, and this amendment does nothing to change those requirements. but we can give those young men in uniform some expedited service. and we also ask t.s.a. to look at when men and women are in uniform under orders to consider an expedited way to get them through security. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time and i ask all the members to join with me in expressing

our appreciation to the men and women who serve us and risk their lives for us every day. the chair: the gentleman from alabama yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from alabama. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. it is now in order to consider amendment number 5 printed in house report 111-127. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 printed in house report 111-127 offered by mr. hastings of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 474, the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i'm pleased to offer an amendment to the transportation security administration

authorization legislation requiring the t.s.a. to report on the status of passenger property claims. between 2003 and 2008, passengers filed almost $3.5 million in claims for property lost after their bags were mishandled by the t.s.a. including jewelry, electronics and other personal effects. this is unacceptable. the american people already deal with numerous hassles at the airports. worrying about theft from their luggage should not be one of them. this amendment ensures adequate oversight of the t.s.a.'s efforts to address passenger complaints and claims. this amendment requires the t.s.a. to report on the outstanding claims, their value and the agency's efforts to enhance passenger property security and provide effective

oversight of bag an screeners and other t.s.a. personnel. mr. chairman, the t.s.a. does an outstanding job of protecting our nation's airports and ensuring the safety and security of the tens of millions of passengers who access our air transportation network each year. this authorization bill, and i compliment chairman thompson and his staff as well as the ranking member and their staff for offering this very good bill. it offers us an opportunity to improve the t.s.a.'s operations and ensure that all americans can rest assured that their property is safely cared for under the control of t.s.a. personnel. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from

florida reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. dent: thanks, mr. chairman. i rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment although i am not opposed to the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for five minutes. mr. dent: thank you, mr. chairman. this would require the t.s.a. to report on a number of claims that it receives for lost and damaged property as well as the value of that property and resolve such claims. the men and women of the t.s.a. work hard every day to protect the property entrusted into their care. while the underlying premise is faulty in that it assumes t.s.a. personnel are to blame for loss or damages associated with baggages, information gleamed from this report might prove useful to manage these claims. the t.s.a. has instituted a process in which a tag is placed inside every bag they open and inspect. this includes bags that are sealed and require forcible entry. unfortunately, the traveling public is sometimes quick to blame the t.s.a. for any loss or damage associated with their

luggage as opposed to the air carriers, baggage handlers or a simple error in bar coding scanning. this may find improvements to the t.s.a. notifications and claims process. i support the amendment and at this time i'd yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i am prepared to yield back the balance of my time and i do so. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from florida. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 6 printed in house report 111-127. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. diaz-balart: mr. chairman, i have ask unanimous consent that my amendment be modified in the form i have placed at the desk. the chair: the clerk will

designate the amendment and report the modification. the clerk: amendment number 6 printed in house report 111-127 offered by mr. lincoln diaz-balart of florida. modification to amendment number 6 printed in house report 111-127 offered by mr. lincoln diaz-balart of florida. the amendment as modified is as follows. in section 237 of the bill insert, a, process, before section 1604-b-2. insert at the end the following, b, reimbursements of airports for eligible cost reimbursement at less than 90%. of the secretary or assistant secretary reimbursed after all 3, 2007, an airport that incurred an amount for eligible cost under section 44923 of title 49, united states code, that was less than 90% of such cost, the secretary or assistant secretary shall reimburse such airport under such section in an amount equal

to such eligible cost. the chair: is there objection to modify the amendment? without objection, the amendment is modified. pursuant to house resolution 474, the gentleman from florida, mr. diaz-balart, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. chairman. and i'd like to thank the distinguished chairman of the committee for his consideration and another clear demonstration of the bipartisanship on this house floor. mr. chairman, i rise to offer an amendment that is a matter of simple fairness to airports that are installing connelly mandated, in-line explosive detection systems, known as e.d.s. airports that were offered t.s.a. discretionary funding for e.d.s. projects in 2008 were not treated equally.

this was due to funding language that in effect pitted airports against each other depending on if they were awarded in f.w. 2008 -- fiscal year 2008 or fiscal year 2007 appropriations. in the fall of 2008, t.s.a. had funding at its disposal from fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 to distribute e.d.s. reimbursement funds. some airports received federal discretionary grants for 90% of the grants of installing the e.d.s. for airport baggage systems from the f.y. 2008 appropriations. at the same time other airports were given grants for 75% of their costs from f.y. 2007 appropriations. both of these awards were distributed at the same time, in the fall of 2008. miami international airport, which is located in the district that i'm honored to represent, and several other

large airports around the country fell into the 75% category. and these airports are now at a competitive disadvantage which increases costs to the airlines and, of course, to the flying public that ultimately pays the bills. the t.s.a. and the o.m.b. made an arbitrary funding decision. they picked winners and losers based on no known criteria. this amendment simply restores fairness to t.s.a.'s discretionary funding of e.d.s. projects and assures that these critical airport security projects can be completed in a timely basis. again, i'd like to thank chairman thompson and ranking member king and their staffs for working with my office to perfect this amendment, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi rise? mr. thompson: mr. chairman, while not opposed to the amendment i ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition. the chair: without objection,

the gentleman from mississippi is recognized for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you very much. mr. chair, this is a classic example of a commonsense amendment. there's no reason why some airports should be reimbursed at 90% and others at 75%. this corrects that inequity. we support it. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from mississippi yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: yield back. the chair: the gentleman from florida yields back. the question is on the amendmented a modified offered by the gentleman from florida. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is adopted. it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 printed in house report 111-127. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. castor: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in house report 111-127 offered by ms. castor of florida. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 474, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, and a member opposed, each will

control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. castor: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i'm pleased to offer an amendment that promotes economic growth and fairness. my amendment eliminates redundant and expensive additional background checks that are making the transportation worker i.d. card less effective and keeping qualified verified workers from jobs at our ports. the transportation worker i.d. card was designed to ensure that people working at our ports are not security risks. we now verify that port workers have not been involved in activities related to terrorism or other serious criminal activities. the twic harmonizes port security across the nation so that any port authority in the country can be secure in the knowledge that job applicants have been examined by the t.s.a. and deemed qualified and safe to access our ports. while the transportation worker i.d. card has standardized port security for the vast majority of states, in florida a worker

who holds that national twic card is still not allowed to access ports without additional background checks and additional fees under a parallel and duplicative state-run system. that's not fair. a trucker delivering a load to a port in georgia or south carolina can simply present the twic card and make his or her delivery as congress intended when we -- when the twic program was designed. however, the same trucker in florida will have to pay additional fees because the state refuses to recognize the twic as a sufficient security credential. florida is the only state in the country to require two security clearances to enter public sea ports. these duplicative clearances not only defeat the purpose of having a federal port security credential but they put florida sea ports, tenants, trucking companies and workers at a

competitive disadvantage. and this is hurting florida's economy. it's a terrible burden on business. now, in 2007, this congress directed t.s.a. to work with florida to come to a mutually agreeable solution that would allow the twic to serve its purpose, but the ensuing years said they would not accept the national standard for port security but would continue to require expensive, duplicative and unnecessary extra background checks. the criminal background checks are almost identical. both screen for crimes such as trafficking in narcotics, robb