Do Existing TSA Security Reforms Need to be Made Into Law? (H.R. 3584)

What is H.R. 3584?

(Updated August 1, 2017)

This bill would specify a variety of reforms to the air travel security programs that are run by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). 

Among the affected programs would be air passenger screening, the vetting of employees with access to secure areas of airports, in addition to programs that maintain screening equipment or require administrative reports. While the TSA has already implemented many of these reforms as an agency, this bill makes those changes into law.

Enrollment in the PreCheck program — which gives air travelers the option to be prescreened using biographic and biometric information — would be expanded. PreCheck would also determine whether enrollees qualify for expedited screening at airport security checkpoints. A pilot program that seeks to set up an automated, biometric-based system to verify the identity of travelers enrolled in the PreCheck program would be also established.

Procedures for vetting airport workers would be expanded to share data and terrorist-related information among federal agencies responsible for intelligence and law enforcement.

Efforts to improve the effectiveness of the TSA’s Secure Flight Program would be increased. The Secure Flight Program is used to compare air passengers’ names with lists of trusted travelers and watchlists to identify low- and high-risk passengers.

A pilot program to evaluate the feasibility of contracting with private firms for explosives-detection services that use canine detection teams would be implemented.

Argument in favor

These are common sense policies that would improve the security of air travelers. Since many of these security reforms have already been implemented by TSA, passing a law to ensure the policies remain in effect makes perfect sense.

Argument opposed

It remains to be seen if the already-implemented reforms are useful or require more adjustment. Congress shouldn’t tie TSA’s hands by enacting a law that includes these reforms which may need to changed or eliminated.

Impact

Air travelers, especially those enrolled in PreCheck; TSA employees with access to secure areas; private sector canine explosive detection firms; and the TSA.

Cost of H.R. 3584

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost $21 million over the 2016-2020 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: This legislation was passed by the House Homeland Security Committee on a voice vote, and it currently has the support of two cosponsors — one Democratic and one Republican.

Media:

• House Homeland Security Committee Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate