To establish an award program to encourage the development of effective bomb-scanning technology.

November 21, 2003

Mrs. CLINTON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

To establish an award program to encourage the development of effective bomb-scanning technology.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Airliner Protection Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF AWARD PROGRAM.

Section 44912 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(d) BOMB SCANNER DEVELOPMENT-

`(1) DEFINITIONS- In this Act:

`(A) BOMB SCANNER- The term `bomb scanner' means a machine that is used to thoroughly examine the contents of a piece of baggage, without opening the baggage, in order to detect and signal the presence of explosives.

`(B) FALSE POSITIVE RATE- The term `false positive rate' means the average rate at which pieces of baggage that pass through a bomb scanner trigger an alarm despite not containing any explosives.

`(C) FALSE NEGATIVE RATE- The term `false negative rate' means the average rate at which pieces of baggage that pass through a bomb scanner do not trigger an alarm despite containing any explosives.

`(2) AWARD PROGRAM- (A) The Under Secretary is authorized to award grants under this subsection to eligible entities to produce bomb scanners.

`(B) For purposes of this subsection, an eligible entity is an entity that has headquarters in the United States and has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Under Secretary an ability to produce bomb scanners--

`(i) that have a false positive rate of less than 10 percent;

`(ii) that have a false negative rate of less than 2 percent; and

`(iii) the installment of which in airports nationwide would not be cost prohibitive.

`(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 to carry out the award program under this subsection, to remain available until expended.'.

END