House Republicans are urging House Speaker Pelosi to retain, during the House-Senate conference, legislative language that would protect airline passengers who, acting in good faith, report suspicious behavior. The language was in response to ‘John Doe’ passengers being sued by six imams and CAIR, the Council of American-Islamic Relations, after they reported the imams’ suspicious behaviors aboard a US Airways flight last November. In March, 105 Democrats joined 199 Republicans to place the language into the House’s version of the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007, Today, the Washington Times reported:
Key Republicans are lobbying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to protect legislation that prohibits airline passengers from being sued if they report suspicious behavior that foreshadows a terrorist attack. Republican leaders used a procedural motion to insert that provision into a transportation-safety bill last month, but House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer [emphasis added mine], Maryland Democrat, has threatened to bar from becoming law all language entered into bills under such “motions to recommit.”
“We cannot afford to wait any longer to protect individuals who seek to do the right thing by speaking up to prevent a terrorist attack,” more than a dozen Republicans wrote to Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, today in a letter obtained in advance by The Washington Times.
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“This represents a startling precedent, one that could freeze the very behavior law enforcement has encouraged,” the letter said.
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“In light of the overwhelming support from the American public and House members, and despite opposition from a majority of House Democrats, we seek your commitment to retain the King Amendment in rail and mass-transit security legislation adopted in any conference report for H.R. 1 and S. 4,” said the letter to Mrs. Pelosi. “Your commitment to recognize the vote of more than 300 members is particularly important in light of Majority Leader Hoyer’s comments that Republican additions to bills can be removed easily in conference committee,” the letter said. The effort passed on a vote of 304-121, with 105 Democrats siding with all 199 Republicans who voted.The letter was signed by Mr. King, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio, Steve Pearce of New Mexico, Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, Adam H. Putnam of Florida, Eric Cantor of Virginia, Mark Souder of Indiana, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Michael McCaul of Texas, Bill Shuster and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Dan Lungren of California and Dave Reichert of Washington.
“Open lines of communication are critical to both passenger security and our collective national security, and attempts to stifle such speech don’t serve the interests of the American people,” Mr. Boehner said. “We would certainly hope that Democratic conferees take this very seriously and let sound policy not partisan politics be the arbiter of what ends up in this conference report.”