On June 7, the House sent a clear signal that the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) failure to finalize a repair station security rule is unacceptable when it approved the fiscal year 2013 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill (H.R. 5855).

The legislation withholds $5,000,000 for use by the department’s General Counsel’s office until a final rule for aircraft repair station security is published. In the House Homeland Security Committee’s report accompanying the legislation, lawmakers expressed concerns about TSA’s inaction stating “failure to act has inhibited the ability of industry to compete in the global market place.” Despite TSA’s claim that it will complete the security rules by the end of the year, committee members withheld the funding because “based on past performance, the Committee has little confidence that TSA and DHS will meet this deadline.”

ARSA continues to urge lawmakers to press TSA to finalize the rule so that the FAA can once again do its job and issue new foreign repair station certificates.

~~~ posted 6/13/12 ~~~

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