House Passes Bill to Help Reduce TSA Wait Times

The House of Representatives passed a bill this week that would make a number of policy changes at TSA to help cut down on wait times at security checkpoints at airports around the country.

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that aims to cut down on wait times at TSA security checkpoints at airports around the country.

The Checkpoint Optimization and Efficiency Act of 2016 (H.R. 5338) reallocates Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, giving more flexibility to local officials on staffing decisions, and increases transparency and coordination among TSA, airports, airlines, and labor organizations. The bill also includes a number of changes to reduce passenger wait times, including expanding TSA’s PreCheck program, to make checkpoints more efficient and keep lines moving.

For details, see Legislation Introduced to Help Reduce TSA Security Line Wait Times.

In a statement on passage of the bill in the House, Rep. John Katko (R-NY) said:

“With the summer travel season upon us, it should not be the case the passengers are missing flights or that airports are approaching operational ground stop due to long lines at security TSA security checkpoints. Today, the House took action to address this crisis. The bipartisan measure that I’ve introduced and passed through the House overhauls TSA’s current, bureaucratic procedures and implements commonsense practices to help ensure that the TSA and local airports are working in coordination to relieve congestion. Now, it’s time for the Senate to do its job and take action on this measure.”

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