Anti-missile protection bill launched in Congress
Federal legislation introduced last month would require surface-to-air missile (SAM) protection, similar to that now used on military transport aircraft, o

Federal legislation introduced last month would require surface-to-air missile (SAM) protection, similar to that now used on military transport aircraft, on all of the nearly 7,000 U.S.-registered jet airliners. The bill, coauthored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), directs that installations begin by the end of the year.

The proposed law (S.311 and H.R.580) would also authorize the DOT to provide necessary funding, which by some estimates would cost between $7 billion and $10 billion. It is not clear, however, from where this money would come. Airline passenger ticket fees are already climbing to pay for Transportation Security Administration programs, but the DOT inspector general has gone on record as saying that these fees raise “only a fraction” of the money the TSA needs.