THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY TALLMAN, METCALFE, DENLINGER, KORTZ, READSHAW, SCAVELLO, STEVENSON AND SWANGER, JANUARY 20, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 20, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Memorializing Congress to address concerns raised by security

screening methods employed by the Transportation Security

Administration.

WHEREAS, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was

created by Congress in 2001 to protect the nation's

transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people

and commerce; and

WHEREAS, The TSA is responsible for security at our nation's

airports, including the screening of commercial airline

passengers and baggage; and

WHEREAS, The TSA has demonstrated at multiple times and

locations its inability to successfully detect potential

threats; and

WHEREAS, The TSA has begun to employ advanced imaging

technology, which produces detailed images of passengers' naked

bodies for review by a TSA employee; and

WHEREAS, Airline passengers who object to the use of advanced

imaging technology are subject to thorough pat-downs that

require TSA employees to touch sensitive areas of a passenger's

body; and

WHEREAS, Passengers, including children, may be required to

subject themselves to either or both of these procedures as a

condition of boarding a commercial aircraft; and

WHEREAS, The use of advanced imaging technology and pat-downs

are potentially offensive and humiliating to every individual

that they are imposed upon; and

WHEREAS, These procedures appear to intrude upon personal

privacy rights and may violate the Fourth Amendment to the

Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 8 of

the Constitution of Pennsylvania; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

memorialize Congress to exercise a greater degree of oversight

on the TSA and place greater restrictions on the airport

screening procedures employed by that agency, with specific

concern about the privacy of law-abiding individuals; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That Congress is urged to limit the use of advanced

imaging technology and pat-downs by TSA employees to situations

where the person being searched is under arrest, a search

warrant has been issued to search a specific person or probable

cause exists to search a specific person; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to

the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the

United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of

the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United

States Senate, the Majority Leader of the United States House of

Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House

of Representatives and every member of Congress elected from

Pennsylvania.