[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8630 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8630

To improve the passenger experience during aviation checkpoint security 
screening, without reducing security effectiveness, by encouraging the 
    deployment of technological and other solutions, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2024

   Mr. Robert Garcia of California (for himself, Mr. LaLota, and Mr. 
  McGarvey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve the passenger experience during aviation checkpoint security 
screening, without reducing security effectiveness, by encouraging the 
    deployment of technological and other solutions, 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 ``Supporting Passengers with Efficient 
and Effective Detection through Screening Act'' or the ``SPEED through 
Screening Act''.

SEC. 2. STRATEGIES TO REDUCE PATDOWNS AND THE NEED TO DIVEST ITEMS 
              DURING SCREENING WITHOUT REDUCING SECURITY EFFECTIVENESS.

    (a) Strategy To Reduce Patdowns Without Reducing Security 
Effectiveness.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for the 
        following five years to reduce the rate at which Administration 
        personnel are required to conduct patdowns during passenger 
        screening carried out pursuant to section 44901 of title 49, 
        United States Code, to the extent practicable, without reducing 
        overall security effectiveness.
            (2) Considerations.--In producing the strategy required 
        under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consider the 
        following:
                    (A) The effects of improvements made to screening 
                activities within the immediately preceding five years, 
                including refinements to advanced imaging technology 
                detection algorithms, and an estimation of the extent 
                to which such improvements have already reduced the 
                rate of patdowns and enhanced security.
                    (B) The potential to make further improvements to 
                existing security technologies, including through 
                enhanced detection algorithms, to further reduce the 
                rate of patdowns during passenger screening without 
                reducing overall security effectiveness.
                    (C) The availability of next-generation or new 
                screening technologies, such as detection at range 
                technology or handheld screening equipment, that could 
                help reduce the rate of patdowns during passenger 
                screening without reducing overall security 
                effectiveness.
                    (D) The extent to which certain passenger 
                populations, including the categories of individuals 
                protected from discrimination under paragraph (a)(1) of 
                section 60307 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
                Act (Public Law 117-58; 47 U.S.C. 1726), may undergo 
                patdowns at a higher rate than the general passenger 
                population during passenger screening, and methods for 
                reducing the rate of patdowns among such passenger 
                populations during passenger screening without reducing 
                overall security effectiveness.
                    (E) The factors contributing to any higher rate of 
                patdowns for particular passenger populations during 
                passenger screening, as described in subparagraph (D).
                    (F) Methods for developing screening technologies 
                and processes to address any higher rate of patdowns 
                among particular passenger populations during passenger 
                screening, as described in subparagraph (D), without 
                reducing overall security effectiveness.
                    (G) Projected costs and timelines for 
                implementation of the strategy.
                    (H) Any other considerations determined appropriate 
                by the Administrator.
    (b) Strategy To Reduce the Need To Divest Items During Screening 
Without Reducing Security Effectiveness.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for the 
        following five years to reduce the need for passengers to 
        divest items from their person or property during passenger 
        screening carried out pursuant to section 44901 of title 49, 
        United States Code, to the extent practicable, without reducing 
        overall security effectiveness.
            (2) Considerations.--In producing the strategy required 
        under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consider the 
        following:
                    (A) The feasibility of reducing the need for 
                passengers to divest each of the following items:
                            (i) Shoes.
                            (ii) Belts.
                            (iii) Loose fitting or bulky clothing.
                            (iv) Hats, wigs, head coverings, and other 
                        headwear, including religious headwear.
                            (v) Articles of faith.
                            (vi) Prosthetics, assistive devices, and 
                        other medical or special needs items.
                            (vii) Liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, 
                        pastes, and powders.
                            (viii) Laptops and other large electronic 
                        devices.
                            (ix) Any other items determined appropriate 
                        by the Administrator;
                    (B) The effects of improvements made to screening 
                activities within the immediately preceding five years, 
                including deployments of computed tomography machines 
                for screening carry-on baggage, and a description of 
                the extent to which such improvements have already 
                reduced the need for passengers to divest items 
                specified in subparagraph (A).
                    (C) The potential to make further improvements to 
                existing security technologies, including through 
                enhanced detection algorithms, to further reduce the 
                need for passengers to divest such items without 
                reducing overall security effectiveness.
                    (D) The availability of next-generation or new 
                screening technologies that could help reduce the need 
                for passengers to divest such items without reducing 
                overall security effectiveness.
                    (E) The extent to which efforts to reduce the need 
                for passengers to divest such items complicates any 
                efforts to reduce the rate of patdowns during security 
                screening, and options to ameliorate any such 
                complications.
                    (F) Projected costs and timelines for 
                implementation of the strategy.
                    (G) Any other considerations determined appropriate 
                by the Administrator.
    (c) Feasibility Study on Allowance of Liquids, Aerosols, Gels, and 
Powders.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
        findings of a feasibility study regarding allowing passengers 
        to board commercial aircraft carrying increased volumes of 
        liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, pastes, powders, or any other 
        substance currently subject to volume-based carriage 
        limitations, to the extent practicable, without reducing 
        overall security effectiveness.
            (2) Considerations.--In carrying out the feasibility study 
        required under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consider 
        the following:
                    (A) The effects of improvements made to screening 
                activities within the immediately preceding five years, 
                including deployments of computed tomography machines 
                and bottle liquid scanners for screening carry-on 
                baggage.
                    (B) The potential to make further improvements to 
                existing security technologies, including through 
                enhanced detection algorithms, to reduce the need for 
                volume-based carriage limitations.
                    (C) The availability of next-generation or new 
                screening technologies that could help reduce the need 
                for volume-based carriage limitations.
                    (D) The effectiveness of security screening 
                practices used by counterparts in foreign countries 
                that allow carriage of increased volumes of substances 
                referred to in such paragraph.
                    (E) Current intelligence regarding threats posed by 
                the carriage of substances referred to in such 
                paragraph, and other risk considerations determined 
                appropriate by the Administrator.
                    (F) Any actions directed by the Administrator as a 
                result of such feasibility study and projected costs 
                and timelines for implementation of such actions.
                    (G) Any other considerations determined appropriate 
                by the Administrator.
    (d) Classification and Publication.--The Administrator shall post 
on a publicly available webpage of the Administration unclassified 
versions of the strategies required under subsections (a) and (b) and 
the report required under subsection (c). If the Administrator 
determines such is appropriate, such strategies and report may contain 
classified or sensitive annexes, and the Administrator shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees any such annex at the time of 
submission of the strategy or report, as the case may be, to which such 
annex relates.
    (e) Deployment of Detection at Range Technology.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator may deploy detection at 
        range technology for the screening of passengers carried out 
        pursuant to section 44901 of title 49, United States Code, 
        subject to standards for testing and evaluation of such 
        technology as determined appropriate by the Administrator.
            (2) Allowing for use of detection at range technology.--
        Subparagraph (C) of section 44901(l)(1) of title 49, United 
        States Code, is amended by inserting ``or a live image of the 
        individual being screened that does not look meaningfully 
        different from the individual's public presentation'' before 
        the period.
            (3) Feasibility assessment.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
        assess the feasibility of using detection at range technology 
        for the following:
                    (A) Resolving alarms from other screening 
                technologies, including advanced imaging technology 
                machines, without the need for a patdown.
                    (B) Augmenting screening of nontrusted traveler 
                populations that may not otherwise be screened for 
                nonmetallic prohibited items.
                    (C) Improving the screening experience for--
                            (i) passengers with disabilities, personal 
                        medical devices, or medical conditions; and
                            (ii) other passengers who may require 
                        additional assistance.
                    (D) Primary screening of passengers, including to 
                allow passengers who opt out of being screened by an 
                advanced imaging technology to be screened without the 
                need for a patdown except to resolve alarms.
            (4) Briefing.--Not later than 30 days after completing the 
        feasibility assessment required under paragraph (3), the 
        Administrator shall brief the appropriate congressional 
        committees regarding the results of such assessment.
            (5) Prioritization.--In deploying detection at range 
        technology pursuant to paragraph (1), the Administrator shall, 
        to the extent determined feasible pursuant to paragraph (3), 
        prioritize deployments of such technology that--
                    (A) reduce the need for patdowns during passenger 
                screening without reducing overall security 
                effectiveness;
                    (B) enhance security effectiveness, including by 
                augmenting screening of nontrusted traveler populations 
                that may not otherwise be screened for nonmetallic 
                prohibited items;
                    (C) improve the screening experience for--
                            (i) passengers with disabilities, personal 
                        medical devices, or medical conditions; and
                            (ii) other passengers who may require 
                        additional assistance.
                    (D) provide primary screening of passengers, 
                including to allow passengers who opt out of being 
                screened by an advanced imaging technology to be 
                screened without the need for a patdown except to 
                resolve alarms.
    (f) Screening Statistics.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall seek to collect 
        anonymized statistics regarding the screening of passengers 
        carried out by Administration personnel pursuant to section 
        44901 of title 49, United States Code. Such statistics shall, 
        to the extent practicable, be disaggregated by airport and date 
        and include the numbers of passengers who undergo any of the 
        following:
                    (A) Screening in TSA PreCheck lanes.
                    (B) Screening out of TSA PreCheck lanes.
                    (C) Enhanced screening based on vetting status.
                    (D) Patdowns, including patdowns of sensitive body 
                areas.
                    (E) Screening by advanced imaging technology 
                machines.
                    (F) Screening by canines.
                    (G) Screening by walk-through metal detectors out 
                of TSA PreCheck lanes without additional screening for 
                non-metallic prohibited items.
                    (H) Any other category of screening determined 
                appropriate by the Administrator.
            (2) Considerations.--In seeking to collect statistics 
        pursuant to paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consider the 
        following:
                    (A) The need to protect the civil rights, civil 
                liberties, and privacy of passengers.
                    (B) The potential for noninvasive technologies, 
                such as cameras and artificial intelligence, to provide 
                information regarding passenger screening.
                    (C) Methods to collect statistics requiring minimal 
                input by Administration personnel, including new 
                technologies or enhancements to existing technologies, 
                such as by installing software allowing personnel to 
                easily specify how an alarm was cleared.
                    (D) If collecting statistics regarding the 
                screening of all passengers is not practicable, methods 
                to collect statistics regarding the screening of a 
                sample set of passengers sufficient to extrapolate 
                estimated statistics for all passengers.
                    (E) Any other considerations determined appropriate 
                by the Administrator.
            (3) Annual briefing.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the 
        Administrator shall brief the appropriate congressional 
        committees regarding the statistics collected pursuant to 
        paragraph (1). Each such briefing shall include monthly totals 
        disaggregated by airport.
            (4) Publication.--The Administrator shall publish annually 
        on a publicly available website of the Administration the 
        statistics collected pursuant to paragraph (1), to the extent 
        practicable, while protecting classified or sensitive 
        information.
    (g) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to prevent the Administration from conducting patdowns, requiring 
divestiture of items for screening, or carrying out other forms of 
permissible modes of screening to ensure overall security 
effectiveness.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administration $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 to 
research, test, evaluate, procure, and deploy screening processes or 
technologies that may reduce the need for patdowns or item divestiture 
or assist in the collection of statistics in furtherance of the 
requirements of subsections (a) and (f).
    (i) Comptroller General Review.--Not later than two years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
a report on the implementation of this Act.
    (j) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
        Transportation Security Administration.
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
            (3) Advanced imaging technology.--The term ``advanced 
        imaging technology'' has the meaning given such term in section 
        44901(l)(1)(A) of title 49, United States Code.
            (4) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and Committee 
        on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
            (5) Detection at range technology.--The term ``detection at 
        range technology'' means any technology using passive, 
        noninvasive means, such as thermal imaging, to screen 
        passengers for potential threat items without requiring 
        physical contact with such passengers.
            (6) Patdown.--The term ``patdown'' means a physical 
        inspection that includes direct physical contact with or 
        without gloves of any part of a person's body, including the 
        head, hair, torso, breasts, groin, buttocks, limbs, 
        extremities, or other body parts.
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