[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1918 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1918

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prescribe regulations 
   imposing a fee on air carriers that charge passengers for a first 
      checked bag or a first carry-on bag, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 29, 2011

 Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prescribe regulations 
   imposing a fee on air carriers that charge passengers for a first 
      checked bag or a first carry-on bag, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fair Airline Industry Revenue Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Security service costs have increased for the 
        Transportation Security Administration since many air carriers 
        began to impose a fee for the first bag checked by a passenger.
            (2) As a result of the additional fee imposed by air 
        carriers, more passengers are opting to carry baggage on 
        aircraft, resulting in a need for more staff and more time for 
        screening at airport security checkpoints.
            (3) The Transportation Security Administration estimates 
        that, as a result of the increase in carry-on baggage being 
        screened at airport security checkpoints, the Administration is 
        spending an additional $260,000,000 on screening, which is 
        detracting from resources available for other security 
        programs.

SEC. 3. REGULATIONS IMPOSING A FEE ON AIR CARRIERS CHARGING FOR A FIRST 
              CHECKED OR CARRY-ON BAG.

    (a) Regulations Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
prescribe regulations to impose a fee on an air carrier that imposes a 
fee for the first bag checked or the first bag carried on the aircraft 
by a passenger who purchases a ticket for air transportation on the air 
carrier in which at least one flight originates at an airport in the 
United States.
    (b) Amount of Fees.--The fee imposed pursuant to subsection (a) may 
not exceed--
            (1) $2.00 per passenger charged for the first bag checked 
        or carried on the aircraft by the passenger; or
            (2) $260,000,000 in the aggregate on all air carriers in a 
        year.
    (c) Fees Credited as Offsetting Collections.--Notwithstanding 
section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, fees collected pursuant 
to subsection (a) shall be credited as offsetting collections to the 
Secretary of Homeland Security for the Transportation Security 
Administration for aviation security.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Air carrier.--The term ``air carrier'' means an air 
        carrier, an intrastate air carrier, or a foreign air carrier 
        (as those terms are defined in section 40102 of 49, United 
        States Code).
            (2) Air transportation.--The term ``air transportation'' 
        means air transportation, intrastate air transportation, and 
        foreign air transportation (as those terms are defined in 
        section 40102 of 49, United States Code).
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