mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
i offer a thanks to the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. sensenbrenner ) xz4003650 , chairman of the committee on the judiciary , and the gentleman from california ( mr. dreier ) xz4001150 , chairman of the committee on rules , who made in order my request for an amendment . 
mr. chairman , the patriot act currently makes it a federal crime to interfere with any person operating a mass transportation vehicle with the intent to endanger any passenger or with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life . 
while this clearly applies to passenger aircraft , it fails to protect other aircraft . 
the consequences of this oversight were recently exposed by a widely reported new jersey laser beam incident . 
on two separate occasions , an individual directed a laser beam at the cockpit of a small passenger airplane and at a port authority police department helicopter . 
such conduct is extremely dangerous , putting aircraft at tremendous risk by startling , distracting , and even blinding pilots . 
however , when apprehended , this individual was charged only in connection with the airplane . 
although equally in danger , the police helicopter did not qualify for mass transportation vehicle protection . 
unfortunately , the new jersey incident was not an isolated instance . 
similar occurrences have happened in ohio , texas , colorado , and oregon . 
pilots nationwide increasingly are reporting laser-beam interference during landing approaches , and although no reports have been terrorist-related to date , there is evidence that terrorists are exploring the use of similar laser tactics as weapons . 
regardless of intent , we must communicate to the public that aircraft interference of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated . 
it is our duty to give law enforcement the tools it needs to protect pilots , passengers , and civilians on the ground . 
the patriot act has taken a first step , and now we must tie up these loose ends . 
this amendment would simply extend the existing patriot act passenger aircraft protections to all aircraft . 
just as it is entirely unacceptable to interfere with the pilot of a passenger aircraft , it is equally unacceptable to interfere with a pilot of a government or private aircraft . 
additionally , this amendment would ensure the protection of everyone engaged in the operation of an aircraft from those in the air to those navigating on the ground . 
mr. chairman , this is a commonsense amendment that will improve aircraft safety . 
a gap has been exposed in the current law , and now we have an opportunity to fill that gap . 
