Dems would require pilot trainees to be checked against terror watchlist

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and three other House Democrats have put forward legislation that would require anyone seeking flight training in certain aircraft to be checked against the federal government's terrorist watchlist.

The Flight School Security Act would apply to people who want to be trained on aircraft with a takeoff weight of more than 12,500 pounds. That would exclude light aircraft that can seat roughly 10 to 20 passengers.

Current law already requires aliens receiving training on these planes to undergo a waiting period, and to submit their personal information to the Department of Homeland Security. Thompson's bill says that everyone — not just aliens — would have to wait for training until after DHS confirms that it has checked their name against the terrorist watchlist, "to ascertain if the individual is a threat to aviation."

DHS would also have to find that the person is "a non-threat to aviation."

The bill, H.R. 6159, is co-sponsored by three other members of the Congressional Black Caucus: Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and Cedric Richmond (D-La.).

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