Washington, D.C. — Congressman G. K. Butterfield today successfully offered an amendment to a travel security bill that requires the study of the benefits of combing face and iris recognition technologies in order to rapidly and accurately identify airline passengers.
“Unlike names and dates of birth, biometrics are unique and virtually impossible to duplicate,” Butterfield said. “Combining iris and face recognition technologies holds great potential for providing a highly reliable, efficient, unobtrusive and accurate way to establish and verify identities.”
The amendment was accepted during debate on the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act of 2009, which was approved by a vote of 397 to 25. Reps. Charles Dent, R-Pa., and Laura Richardson, D-Calif., both spoke in favor of the amendment.
The bill authorizes appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Additionally, the bill would direct the TSA to establish a system to verify screening of all cargo aboard inbound foreign passenger flights. It also authorizes the hiring of an additional 300 TSA surface transportation security inspectors over the next two fiscal years and increases the number of authorized surface transportation explosive detection canine teams to 200.
Butterfield explained that DHS already collects biometric information from foreign travelers through the US-VISIT program. This information is used to help prevent people from entering the country illegally using fake documentation.
Butterfield said that companies, including Spatial Integrated Systems, Inc. in Kinston, N.C., are already working to develop these technologies and the study would provide valuable research information that could help spur further advancement.
The amendment specifically directs that the study help to identify any specific environmental or operational factors that might limit these biometric capabilities and provide insight and information for biometrics acquisitions and procedures.
In addition to potential use in airports and at borders, Butterfield said other possible commercial applications include installation at entrances to government buildings and other controlled-access areas.