Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice, Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Subcommittee, today joined Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Chairman of the Transportation Security Subcommittee, to introduce H.R. 2127, the Securing Expedited Screening Act. Authored by Rep. Thompson, the legislation addresses what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General and the Comptroller General have identified as serious security vulnerabilities in the way in which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) carries out expedited airport checkpoint screenings. The TSA PreCheck program provides expedited screening to passengers who submit biographic information and undergo a security risk assessment. However, TSA also provides expedited screening on a case-by-case basis to other passengers who have not been previously vetted through the PreCheck program but are identified as “low-risk” and given access to PreCheck lanes. Last month, the DHS Inspector General reported that in one such instance, TSA provided expedited screening to a convicted felon who served time in prison for crimes committed as a member of a known domestic terrorist organization and who had not been vetted through the PreCheck application process.

The legislation introduced today directs TSA to make expedited screening available only to individuals who are vetted participants in the PreCheck program and other known or vetted passengers. Under H.R. 2127, in addition to PreCheck participants, passengers enrolled in Global Entry or other DHS trusted traveler programs would get such screening, as well as passengers in certain age groups, military servicemembers, and other populations identified by TSA as known and low risk. The legislation will also ensure that if TSA wants to provide expedited screening to passengers outside these groups, TSA could do so by an alternate method only if it is validated as a secure vetting method in an independent assessment submitted to Congress. Importantly, the bill requires TSA to maintain the availability of expedited screening at or above the current level, even as it refines the population that is eligible for such screening.

Congresswoman Rice released the following statement on the legislation:

“If you’re one of the million-plus people who have submitted your biographic information, undergone thorough vetting and enrolled in the PreCheck program, then it makes sense that you should receive expedited screening. But when a convicted felon and former member of a domestic terrorist organization can be given that same privilege without being vetted, something clearly needs to change. This legislation will ensure that expedited screening is available only to passengers enrolled in trusted traveler programs like PreCheck and other passengers known to be low-risk. This is a common-sense response to a major security gap, and I urge my colleagues to give it their full support.”

Congressman Thompson said the following on the legislation he authored:

“Expedited screening can be a critical aspect to our layered aviation security infrastructure but it must be employed using proven methods that do not create security gaps. After a recent incident and numerous reports, I do not have confidence that TSA’s use of random or case-by-case, on-site security risk assessments to identify passengers for expedited screening is keeping us secure. That is why I introduced legislation today to limit expedited screening to certain, known low-risk groups. This bill will also ensure that specific criteria are met if expedited screening is expanded.  I thank my colleagues for joining me in introducing this bipartisan legislation.”

Congressman Katko released the following statement on the bill:

"This legislation seeks to ensure that the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA's) PreCheck program is conducted in a responsible manner, which does not cause unnecessary security vulnerabilities in passenger security screening.  As threats to our aviation sector continue to evolve, it is critical that we do not become complacent and that TSA is held accountable for ensuring the security of the traveling public. The risk-based security model, including the Pre-Check program, has been an important step forward in keeping our skies safe and improving the passenger screening experience.  I continue to support risk-based security and TSA PreCheck and look forward to seeing the program's continued success going forward.  I commend Ranking Member Thompson's work on this critically important issue, and I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan piece of legislation."

A fact sheet on the bill is available here.

A section-by-section explanation of the bill is available here.

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