Amount of federal aid for McCarran screeners unclear

Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 8:29 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- McCarran International Airport will receive federal support for its new baggage screening system, a Transportation Security Administration official said Wednesday, but it's unclear how much money the federal government will provide.

Randy Null, the Transportation Security Administration's acting assistant administrator for aviation operations, pledged federal support for part of the project, but the amount the federal government will reimburse the airport for building the new system is still in question.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said the government should pay for McCarran's new in-line baggage screening system as the law requires and make sure the right equipment, such as the electrical wiring, is available to avoid any delays in completing the project.

The new screening system will check bags for explosives as part of the airport's regular baggage system. It will take the place of the large, stand-alone explosive detection system machines bags go through at check-in.

McCarran agreed to build the new in-line explosive detection system for baggage with the understanding the government would pay the airport back.

The original agreement has a 75 percent reimbursement from the government for the project but after the Transportation Security Administration changed its rules to offer a 90 percent reimbursement rate, Congress approved a law offered by Berkley, Porter and other members to get McCarran and other airports the new, higher rate.

But Porter said the administration is still only prepared to give the airport 75 percent of its cost. The law required $500 million to reimburse the airports but the administration only requested $250 million.

"It is not fair to the taxpayers of Nevada, or the flying public, that they be forced to bear the costs of this federal responsibility," Porter said at a House Aviation Subcommittee hearing Wednesday. "I urge the members of this administration present to obey the law and find the money in their budget to repay the taxpayers of Nevada and other states they are cheating."

Berkley spokesman David Cherry explained the bill Porter and Berkley helped pass only authorized the higher reimbursement and did not specifically allocate funds for it, an important distinction in Congress.

Congress is still deciding how to reimburse the airports because the TSA budget is not done yet. Null said if the reimbursement rate stays at 90 percent, the TSA budget will be tight and there could be challenges in getting all the airports their payments on time. He said if the TSA budget allows for higher rate, it would revisit the airports that had the original 75 percent rate to see how and when the extra payments would occur.

Porter spokesman Adam Mayberry said Porter is working with members on the House Homeland Security Appropriation Subcommittee on the issue.

Additionally, Berkley said once the new baggage system is done, she does not want to lose airport screeners, especially because the airport is still short screeners.

"In-line systems require fewer screeners," Berkley said. "Screeners no longer needed for baggage screening should be transferred to passenger screening checkpoints."

Null agreed and said he would follow the wait-time requirements to allocate screeners.