Bill Would Assign U.S. Airport Security Role
Senators are drafting a multibillion-dollar plan to increase the number of armed guards in airports and on airplanes, secure cockpits with bulletproof doors and employ new technology to screen for potential terrorists.
The bill, being written by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), would make the federal government responsible for most functions of airport security.
There is no specific cost estimate yet, but backers agree that the price tag would run into the billions of dollars.
The federal government has already moved to get hundreds of armed air marshals on board airliners and train others.
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