Should TSA Signs be Accessible to Passengers Who Don’t Speak English or Have Impaired Vision or Hearing? (H.R. 3691)

What is H.R. 3691?

(Updated October 22, 2019)

This bill — the TRANSLATE Act — would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to make security information more accessible to non-English speaking passengers and those with vision or hearing impairments. This would entail making signage, video, audio, and online content more accessible to non-English speaking travelers at major airports.

A plan for achieving this goal would be required within a year of this bill’s passage. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to report on this bill’s implementation.

This bill’s full title is the TSA Reaching Across Nationalities, Societies, and Languages to Advance Traveler Education Act.

Argument in favor

Air travel is already stressful enough without language, visual, or hearing impairments getting in travelers’ ways. While many realities of air travel can’t be helped, TSA can make it slightly less stressful by making its signage accessible to everyone.

Argument opposed

This bill isn’t necessary because the TSA is already implementing plans to make its signage accessible to those with vision and hearing impairments and non-English speakers.

Impact

Air travelers with limited English proficiency; air travelers with vision impairments; air travelers with hearing impairments; TSA; TSA signage; policies to make TSA signage access to those with limited English proficiency, vision impairments, or hearing impairments; and the GAO.

Cost of H.R. 3691

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill wouldn’t have any significant costs, as the TSA says most of the requirements in this bill are already being planned and implemented.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced this bill to make air travel easier for non-English speakers, international travelers, and people with vision or hearing impairments: 

“You shouldn’t have to worry about missing a flight just because you don’t speak English. Making signs at airports easier to understand for non-English speakers and those with vision impairments is common sense. Las Vegas is an international city that thrives on tourism and we must make sure that our airport is comfortable for all residents and visitors alike.”  

According to the TSA, the agency is “committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.” Section 508 is a federal law that requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities the same access to electronic information and data as those without disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue burden upon the agency.

This legislation passed the House Homeland Security Committee with the support of one cosponsor, Rep. Van Taylor (R-TX).

Of Note: The TSA screens over 2.2 million passengers and crew members every day. This includes passengers and crew on international flights traveling to and from 270 foreign airports and 100 countries on a daily basis. Tourism travel to the U.S. is an important part of the economy. On an annual basis, tourism supports 15.7 million jobs and accounts for $1.1 trillion of travel spending. Additionally, the aviation industry contributes 5% to the U.S. GDP. 

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that approximately 65.3 million people above the age of five who live in the U.S. speak English “not well” or “not well at all.”

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• House Foreign Affairs Committee Report