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ByJoanLowy The Associated Press WASHINGTON Significant progress has been made on shortening screen- ing lines since earlier this spring, when airlines re- ported thousands of frus- trated passengers were missing flights, the head of the Transportation Se- curity Administration said Tuesday. Over the busy Memo- rial Day weekend, 99 per- cent of passengers at U.S. airports waited less than 30 minutes and 93 percent waited less than 15 minutes in regular security lines, Pe- ter Neffenger told a hearing of the Senate Homeland Se- curity and Governmental Affairs Committee. In TSA Precheck lines for travelers who have received prior- ity security vetting, 93 per- cent of passengers waited less than 5 minutes, he said. The agency said it is re- ducing lines partly by add- ing more lanes and increas- ing staffing at peak periods, especially at seven of the nation's busiest airports: John F. Kennedy in New York, Newark in New Jersey, O'Hare in Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles. "When you get stories of long wait times it has pri- marily been those airports," Neffenger said. "If you can prevent problems from happening there, you don't have problems that cascade throughout the system." TSA also is exploring the possibility of adding auto- mated screening technol- ogy at more than a dozen airports that can speed up lines by as much as 30 per- cent, he said. After TSA viewed the technology in operation at busy Heath- row Airport in London, Delta Air Lines helped pay for its installation in two screening lanes in Atlanta, he said. The new system, which went into operation in late May, has been such a success that TSA has cre- ated a special team to talk to other airlines and air- ports about installing the systems and going even fur- ther to add more automa- tion, he said. TSA also won praise from one of its fiercest crit- ics, John Roth, the Depart- ment of Homeland Securi- ty's inspector general. TSA screeners overwhelmingly missed prohibited items in covert tests carried out by the inspector general's of- fice, according to a highly critical report by Roth last year. "I believe we are in a dif- ferent place than we were last June," Roth told the Senate committee. Un- der Neffenger, TSA has ac- knowledged its security weaknesses and is begin- ning to come to grips with them instead of "fighting us every step of the way," he said. "We are generally satis- fied with the progress they are making, which is by no means complete," Roth said. Among his continu- ing concerns are that not enough is being done to protect against the "insider threat" of an airport worker or other persons who have access to airport restricted areas, he said. There is "no holistic look at an airport worker who has unrestricted ac- cess to aircraft," Roth said. TSA continually checks to see if workers have been convicted of a crime, but doesn't go beyond that if there hasn't been a convic- tion, he said. Also Tuesday, the House passed a bill that requires TSA to reassign "behavior detection" officers to secu- rity checkpoints and give lo- cal or regional TSA admin- istrators more authority to make staffing decisions. Behavior detection officers look for suspicious individ- uals or activity at airports. Neffenger testified that he has already reassigned the officers. The House bill, which was passed by a voice vote, would also permit TSA to use private marketing com- panies to encourage more passengers to sign up for the Precheck program. Pre- check's purpose is to sepa- rate and expedite screening of low-risk passengers so screeners can spend more time on higher-risk pas- sengers or passengers for whom there is no risk in- formation. AIRPORTS TSA chief says progress being made on shortening lines MATTYORK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Passengers line up to check in before their flight at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. By Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press WASHINGTON House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tues- day proposed an overhaul of the nation's poverty pro- grams, the first of several policy plans intended to unite the fractured Repub- lican Party, but his agenda was immediately overshad- owed by questions about Donald Trump. The proposal, unveiled at the House of Help City of Hope, an alcohol and drug treatment program in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, would make changes to welfare, food and housing aid, among other programs, to increase work requirements, make the aid more efficient and allow states to make more decisions about how it is dis- tributed. As Ryan announced the plan with participants in the program by his side, he faced repeated questions about the presumptive Re- publican nominee's latest controversial comments. In response, Ryan said Trump made the "textbook defini- tion of a racist comment" in saying an American-born judge isn't qualified to pre- side over a case because of his Mexican heritage. Ryan stood by his en- dorsement of Trump, saying he would be a better pres- ident to enact his agenda than Democrat Hillary Clin- ton. Trump has said U.S. Dis- trict Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel can't be impartial in lawsuits against Trump University because his par- ents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall along the border. Trump's legal team has not sought a recusal of the ju- rist. Ryan endorsed Trump last week after a lengthy delay, making clear that his support is largely due to the fact that a Republican pres- ident could help him enact his longtime policy goals. Overhauling the nation's welfare and nutrition pro- grams has long been a prior- ity for Ryan, who also plans to release a national secu- rity plan on Thursday. HOUSE SPEAKER Ryan pushes poverty program overhaul, questioned on Trump This could be your lucky day by helping a dog or cat find a loving home from... Paws & Claws ADOPT A PET TODAY Nala AdSponsorsh ip $ 32 Call Suzy at (530) 737-5056 TEHAMACOUNTYDEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES 1830WalnutStreet P.O. Box 38 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-3439 CORNING ANIMAL SHELTER 4312 Rawson Rd. Corning, CA 96021 (530) 824-7054 Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. 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