US OUTLINES SECURITY OVERSIGHT PLANS
The U.S. Government has outlined its oversight plans for the newly-formed Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Pursuant to the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, signed into law Nov. 19, the agency is established as a branch within the Department of Transportation (DOT). The TSA is to be headed by the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security.
Under this new law, the TSA is headed by the Under Secretary, and the agency will be responsible for the following: -Security relating to civil aviation and all other modes of transportation within the Department of Transportation, including at transportation facilities; -Federal security screening operations of passenger air transportation and intrastate air transportation; -Managing and carrying out program and regulatory activities; -Receiving, assessing, coordinating and distributing intelligence information related to transportation security; -Developing, coordinating and carrying out plans to discover, prevent and deal with threats to transportation security; -Identifying and undertaking research and development activities related to enhancing transportation security; and -Coordinating domestic transportation, including aviation, rail, and other surface transportation, and maritime transportation (including port security) and overseeing all transportation related responsibilities of the Federal government, other than the Department of Defense and the military departments, during a national emergency.