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U.S. Senate passes bill that boosts airport security

Xinhua, April 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan aviation policy bill that would beef up airport security and promote the widespread use of commercial drones.

If approved by the House of Representatives, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, passed by 95-3 in the Senate, would also extend funding and the authority for the FAA through Oct. 1, 2017. The FAA's funding and authority was due to expire in less than three months.

Main provisions of the bill had targeted aviation safety, including tightened vetting of airport employees and strengthened public safety measures in areas before security screenings.

These provisions, supported by both sides of the aisle in the Senate, came after recent terrorist attacks across the world, particularly last month's bombings at Brussels' international airport.

Other parts of the bill also sought to speed up use of package-delivery drones within two years.

Despite its bipartisan support in the Senate, the bill was expected to meet resistance in the House, where Republicans there were eying a sweeping overhaul of the FAA that would seek to privatize the FAA's air traffic control operations. Enditem