[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 170 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7407-H7409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TSA LOOSE CHANGE ACT

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1095) to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the 
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security 
Administration) to transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport 
security checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that provide places of 
rest and recuperation at airports for members of the Armed Forces and 
their families, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1095

       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 ``TSA Loose Change Act''.

     SEC. 2. DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED MONEY RECOVERED AT AIRPORT 
                   SECURITY CHECKPOINTS.

       (a) Disposition of Unclaimed Money.--Section 44945(a) of 
     title 49, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``after the date of enactment of the TSA 
     Loose Change Act,'' after ``title 31,'';
       (2) by striking ``shall be retained by the Transportation 
     Security Administration'' and all that follows through ``this 
     chapter'' and inserting ``shall be annually transferred, 
     based on requests for proposals, by the Assistant Secretary 
     to nonprofit organizations that operate airport centers in 
     multiple locations throughout the United States to provide 
     places of rest and recuperation for members of the Armed 
     Forces and their families''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``The 
     Assistant Secretary shall ensure that the name of each 
     nonprofit agency to which funds are transferred under this 
     subsection is printed in the Federal Register.''.
       (b) Annual Report.--Section 515(b) of the Department of 
     Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-
     334; 118 Stat. 1318; 49 U.S.C. 44945 note) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure of the House of Representatives'' and 
     inserting ``the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
     of Representatives''; and
       (2) by striking ``and specifically how the unclaimed money 
     is being used to provide civil aviation security'' and 
     inserting ``and the amount of unclaimed money transferred to 
     nonprofit organizations under section 44945(a) of title 49, 
     United States Code, and the dates of such transfers''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I stand in strong support of this bill, the TSA Loose Change Act, 
sponsored by my friend and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, 
Congressman Jeff Miller, and 42 bipartisan cosponsors.
  The Committee on Homeland Security ordered this legislation reported 
during the 112th Congress and again this Congress, but this is the 
first time it is being considered by the full House. I am pleased to be 
here today to express my strong support for the measure, and I urge its 
adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, in the hustle and bustle of our Nation's airports, with 
millions of people traveling every day, it is no surprise that some 
travelers will inadvertently leave behind loose change at TSA screening 
checkpoints. That pocket change may not add up to much at one airport, 
but when you total it across 450 airports, it amounts to half a million 
dollars every year.
  TSA is currently authorized to keep the money for its own use, but 
the agency has been slow to spend it, and already receives $7 billion 
towards its operations ever year. I believe this bill is a unique 
opportunity to put that loose change to better use by spending it on 
airport centers that provide our military heroes with a more relaxing 
and comfortable experience while they travel. What better time to make 
this change than during this busy holiday

[[Page H7408]]

season when servicemembers are traveling to spend time with their loved 
ones?
  According to the CBO, this bill will not have a significant impact on 
the budget in any given year, given the modest amount of money 
involved. Supporting our military servicemembers and their families is 
a goal we can all get behind, and this bill represents a commonsense 
step toward that objective.
  Earlier this year, we passed the Helping Heroes Fly Act, sponsored by 
the Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard. That bill is already 
making a difference for wounded warriors traveling through our 
airports, and H.R. 1095 is another chance to further our commitment to 
our U.S. soldiers.
  I commend Chairman Miller for sponsoring this legislation, as well as 
my colleagues on the committee and across the aisle for their support.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 1095, the TSA Loose Change Act. It is a 
straightforward bill with an admirable goal: take unclaimed money left 
behind at passenger screening checkpoints, often in the form of loose 
change, and put it to good use aiding our servicemembers and their 
families as they travel.
  Under current law, unclaimed money left at passenger screening 
checkpoints is used to offset civil aviation security costs. In recent 
years, TSA has collected slightly less than $500,000 annually in 
unclaimed money at checkpoints. H.R. 1095 would amend current law by 
directing that these funds be transferred to a nonprofit organization, 
such as the United Service Organizations, to provide places of 
relaxation and recuperation at airports for members of the Armed Forces 
and their families.
  I am pleased to lend my support for this legislation. I know that the 
chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee has been a champion of this 
legislation for several Congresses now, and I applaud him for his 
persistence on this issue.
  Chairman Miller will be glad to know that this is not the first bill 
regarding servicemembers and veterans that the committee has seen moved 
during this Congress. Earlier this year, the Helping Heroes Fly Act, of 
which I was an original cosponsor, went on to become law. That 
legislation, introduced by my colleague on the Committee on Homeland 
Security, Representative Gabbard from Hawaii, requires TSA to provide 
expedited screening for severely injured servicemembers and veterans. 
Together, the Helping Heroes Fly Act and the TSA Loose Change Act 
display the committee's commitment to honoring our servicemembers and 
veterans.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), the sponsor of the 
legislation and chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the 
chairman, my good friend, Mr. McCaul; the ranking member, Mr. Thompson; 
Chairman Hudson; Congressman Rogers of Alabama; and all the members of 
the Homeland Security Committee for their support of this important 
piece of legislation.
  As a proud supporter of the military, as many of us in this Chamber 
are, I am grateful to each of my colleagues and their hardworking 
staffs for the opportunity to help advance H.R. 1095, the TSA Loose 
Change Act, which is on the floor with us today.
  This act is a commonsense piece of legislation with bipartisan 
support, has no impact on the Federal budget, and supports our men and 
women in uniform who dedicate their lives in defense of the freedom 
that we enjoy. As a result of this bill's passage, travelers' unclaimed 
change left at airport security checkpoints, which is currently 
retained by the Department of Homeland Security, would be put to good 
use right there in airports across America. What may seem like a small 
amount of change left behind to some--nickels, dimes, quarters, and 
pennies--actually amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year 
and can make a significant difference if used wisely.
  By directing TSA to transfer unclaimed money to nonprofit 
organizations that provide a place of rest and recuperation area for 
our Nation's military at our Nation's airports, H.R. 1095 would ensure 
that thousands of coins, when bundled together, will be used in support 
of millions of our Nation's warriors.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1095.
  Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Transportation Security.
  Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for 
the TSA Loose Change Act, authored by my good friend, Jeff Miller of 
Florida.
  We see loose change at security lines in every airport, from 
Charlotte down to Pensacola and all across this Nation. It may not seem 
like much, but as people quickly shuffle through the checkpoints and 
leave change behind, it adds up to almost $500,000 a year. Under 
current law, the money is used for civil aviation security, but this 
bill will allow TSA to use this loose change to direct it to a good 
cause.
  Mr. Speaker, I agree with Mr. Miller. This money should be put to the 
use of supporting our military members and their families by providing 
them a place to rest at the airports.
  I would like to thank Chairman Miller for his tireless effort, his 
work on this issue, and also thank other members of the Homeland 
Security Committee. I particularly want to recognize the ranking member 
on our subcommittee, Mr. Richmond, who has dedicated himself to this 
work. He has worked with me on this and many other issues in a 
bipartisan way.
  Mr. Speaker, that is what the American people are looking for. They 
are looking for us to come here and work together for solutions for the 
American people. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the work that we have 
produced with this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. RICHMOND. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me thank the chairman of the full Committee on 
Homeland Security, who is the chairman of the committee that I am 
ranking member on, and Mr. Miller for introducing this legislation and 
for working in such a bipartisan manner. Of course, let me thank my 
ranking member, Mr. Thompson, from the neighboring State of 
Mississippi.
  This bill is a bipartisan effort, and it goes to show the American 
people that we do have good common sense here in Congress and that we 
do things that are right just because they are the right things to do.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, which will 
give resources to some of our most valuable citizens in the country--
the ones who put their lives on the line for us--so that we may help 
them in expediting and in making their travels more relaxed throughout 
the United States.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Hudson, Chairman Miller, Ranking 
Member Richmond, and Ranking Member Thompson. I am proud of the work we 
have done on this committee.
  At a time of intense partisanship and acrimony, we have conducted 
ourselves very professionally and in a bipartisan way. I think when it 
comes to national security issues that is precisely what we should be 
doing. It is what the American people, as Chairman Hudson said, expect 
and deserve.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bipartisan, 
commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
1095, the ``TSA Loose Change Act.''
  This legislation, introduced by the Chairman of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, received the unanimous support of the Committee on 
Homeland Security in October.
  It would require the Transportation Security Administration to 
transfer money left behind by passengers at airport security 
checkpoints to nonprofit organizations such as the United Services 
Organization.
  Under this measure, places of rest and relaxation for service members 
and their families

[[Page H7409]]

at our nation's airports would have new resources to provide critical 
services.
  Over the past few years, TSA has collected, on average, over $400,000 
per year at passenger screening checkpoints.
  Last year, the agency collected over $500,000.
  To be clear, this is money left behind by passengers that goes 
unclaimed.
  Currently, TSA is obligated by law to use those funds for security 
operations.
  Given that TSA has a robust budget and troubling propensity for 
spending taxpayer dollars on programs that do not work, such as its 
behavior detection program, I am supportive of redirecting these 
unclaimed monies to the worthy cause of maintaining dedicated spaces 
for relaxation at our nation's airports for our service members and 
their loved ones.
  During the holiday season, service members and their families will be 
traveling through airports across the country to be with family, 
friends, and colleagues.
  H.R. 1095 seeks to ensure that organizations, such as the United 
Service Organization, have the resources necessary to ensure their 
comfort as they do so.
  I would like to point out that this legislation builds upon the 
Committee on Homeland Security's previous work this Congress to support 
service members and veterans.
  Earlier this Congress, the Committee saw enactment of the Helping 
Heroes Fly Act.
  That legislation, introduced by Representative Gabbard, a member of 
the Committee, requires TSA to provide expedited screening for severely 
injured service members and veterans.
  I am hopeful that the legislation before us today is met with the 
same support as that measure and likewise becomes a public law.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1095, 
the TSA Loose Change Act. I support the goals of the bill that would 
allow the Transportation Security Administration, TSA, to transfer 
monies left by travelers at airport security check points to USO-type 
organizations.
  The bill is intended to provide support to organizations that exist 
for the sole purpose of lifting the spirits of America's troops and 
their families.
  Travelers often see young men and women of the armed services in 
airports who often travel for hours and sometimes days to reach their 
destinations.
  It is important that while they or their families are traveling they 
are provided with access to rest areas and a warm welcome.
  The TSA Loose Change Act modifies existing law by requiring TSA to 
transfer unclaimed loose change found at passenger screening 
checkpoints to organizations that provide places of rest and 
recuperation at airports to service members and their families, such as 
the USO.
  Last year, TSA collected over $500,000 in unclaimed money at 
passenger screening checkpoints.
  Under H.R. 1095, this money will go to the noble cause of providing 
support for service members and their families.
  During Committee consideration of this bill in October, during Full 
Homeland Security Committee markup, I offered an amendment to the bill 
that will require TSA to publish in the Federal Register the name of 
the organization that successfully applies for the funds via the 
Request for Proposals process called for in the bill.
  I was pleased that my amendment was met with the unanimous support of 
the Committee and is now a part of the legislation before the House 
today.
  With my amendment included, we can have confidence that we will have 
knowledge of the organizations or organization that receives the money 
and can ensure its proper use.
  I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our troops 
and their families by voting in favor of this amendment.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1095, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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