[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8485-S8486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RISK-BASED SECURITY SCREENING FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ACT

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I come to the floor to discuss and 
pass the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces 
Act.
  How many times have you been at an airport screening line, you are 
getting ready to go through the machines that are going to determine 
you are safe to travel and standing right there in the line is a man or 
woman in their military fighting gear--their camouflage and their 
combat boots--and they are having to take off their combat boots, many 
times in their 2-week R&R period between their stints in Afghanistan or 
Iraq, and you think: Oh, my gosh. It is unbelievable that our military 
people--who are putting their lives on the line, who are sacrificing so 
much--are having to go through a procedure that does not have a 
commonsense feel about it.
  Last week, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Burr, and I introduced S. 
1954, the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces 
Act. The bill was a modification of the House companion bill that was 
recently passed by Representative Cravaack from Minnesota in a 
unanimous decision by the House.
  It requires the TSA, the Transportation Security Agency, to create a 
system to speed members of our uniformed services through airport 
security.
  I would also like to thank Senators Lieberman and Collins for their 
input on this piece of legislation. We have all worked hard to move 
this bill through quickly, and it is the House bill we will be taking 
up very shortly with the modifications I have mentioned.
  The bill establishes a timeline for the Transportation Security 
Administration and the Department of Defense together to develop and 
implement a program to establish expedited security screening 
procedures for military personnel and their families.
  I think we can all agree our military men and women make sacrifices 
for our Nation every day. The least we can do is try to make their 
lives a little easier when they travel around the country they defend.
  I think they have earned the right to at least go to the head of the 
line or have some kind of trusted passenger status.
  Our Armed Forces are comprised of over 1.4 million brave men and 
women. They are stationed at more than 6,000 military bases worldwide. 
For all the hardships they endure, I think they deserve to be at the 
front of the line in some kind of procedure that expedites their 
security clearance.
  Airports, airlines, and TSA recognize this issue, and they want to 
reduce the delays. Currently, TSA uses the same screening protocols for 
all passengers.
  The TSA has indicated that it would like to improve the process and 
to move forward to risk-based screening procedures. They certainly have 
my support and I know that of many Members, if not an overwhelming 
majority in Congress, to do that.
  Mr. Pistole, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, 
has testified before our Commerce Committee about the risk-based 
screening procedures they are trying to put in place that will give 
them a better opportunity to target people who are more at risk or more 
under suspicion, while letting frequent flyers and people in the 
military go through on an expedited basis.
  I would say the first identifiable group to get risk-based screening 
processes should be those who are fighting this war, those with boots 
on the ground. Members of our military and their families traveling on 
orders and in uniform should benefit from these new rules. In a time of 
limited resources, the establishment of procedures to expedite the 
screening of a pool of travelers who are most certainly our trusted 
travelers would better allow the TSA to focus their attention on areas 
of real threats.
  Earlier this year, the House passed Congressman Cravaack's bill 
unanimously, just a couple of weeks ago. I hope our quick and unanimous 
action will allow the House to quickly reconsider the modified measure 
and get the bill signed into law as soon as possible.
  As we are going into this traveling season--we have been through 
Thanksgiving, and we are now approaching Christmas. The bill is not 
going to be implemented by this season. They cannot do it in 2 weeks. 
But surely by the next holiday season, our trusted travelers, the 
members of our military and their families, will be able to have this 
expedited procedure. I hope that as they are traveling in this year's 
rush through the processes to get home to their loved ones, they will 
know we are working on something that will make their lives easier and 
expedite their travels while they are home on leave from fighting the 
war that is protecting our freedoms and our way of life.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce 
be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1801 and the Senate 
proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1801) to amend title 49, United States Code, 
     to provide for expedited security screenings for members of 
     the Armed Forces.

  Without objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
amendment at the desk be agreed to, and I urge passage of the bill, as 
amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1458), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed 
to, as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Risk-Based Security 
     Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act''.

     SEC. 2. SECURITY SCREENING FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

       (a) In General.--Section 44903 of title 49, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(m) Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Assistant Secretary of Homeland 
     Security (Transportation Security Administration), in 
     consultation with

[[Page S8486]]

     the Department of Defense, shall develop and implement a plan 
     to provide expedited security screening services for a member 
     of the armed forces, and, to the extent possible, any 
     accompanying family member, if the member of the armed 
     forces, while in uniform, presents documentation indicating 
     official orders for air transportation departing from a 
     primary airport (as defined in section 47102).
       ``(2) Protocols.--In developing the plan, the Assistant 
     Secretary shall consider--
       ``(A) leveraging existing security screening models used to 
     reduce passenger wait times;
       ``(B) establishing standard guidelines for the screening of 
     military uniform items, including combat boots; and
       ``(C) incorporating any new screening protocols into an 
     existing trusted passenger program, as established pursuant 
     to section 109(a)(3) of the Aviation and Transportation 
     Security Act (49 U.S.C. 114 note), or into the development of 
     any new credential or system that incorporates biometric 
     technology and other applicable technologies to verify the 
     identity of individuals traveling in air transportation.
       ``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection 
     shall affect the authority of the Assistant Secretary to 
     require additional screening of a member of the armed forces 
     if intelligence or law enforcement information indicates that 
     additional screening is necessary.
       ``(4) Report to congress.--The Assistant Secretary shall 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on 
     the implementation of the plan.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall 
     implement the plan required by this Act.

  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill (H.R. 1801), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements 
related to the measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I am very pleased we have been able to pass this bill 
for the expedited travel procedures for our military personnel. The TSA 
will have about 180 days working with the Department of Defense to get 
procedures in place to do this.
  I hope our military people, wherever they are in the world, know how 
much America appreciates their service. We know they are fighting for 
our way of life to prevail for our children and future generations.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Casey). The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I echo the words of the senior Senator from Texas 
in support of our men and women who might be home on leave, might have 
been sent somewhere on Active Duty, that this is the least we can do.

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