[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            VETERANS EXPEDITED TSA SCREENING SAFE TRAVEL ACT

  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee be discharged from 
further consideration of S. 1881 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 senior assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1881) to provide PreCheck to certain severely 
     injured or disabled veterans, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill 
be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1881) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed as follows:

                                S. 1881

       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 ``Veterans Expedited TSA 
     Screening Safe Travel Act'' or the ``VETS Safe Travel Act''.

     SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF PRECHECK PROGRAM TO CERTAIN SEVERELY 
                   INJURED OR DISABLED VETERANS.

       (a) In General.--Section 44927 of title 49, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(g) Availability of PreCheck Program to Certain Severely 
     Injured or Disabled Veterans.--
       ``(1) In general.--A veteran described in paragraph (2) is 
     eligible for security screening under the PreCheck Program 
     under section 44919 at no cost to the veteran if the veteran 
     is able to meet the background check and other security 
     requirements for participation in the program.
       ``(2) Veterans described.--A veteran described in this 
     paragraph is a veteran determined by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs--
       ``(A)(i) to have had a loss, or loss of use, of a limb;
       ``(ii) to have become paralyzed or partially paralyzed; or
       ``(iii) to have incurred permanent blindness; and
       ``(B) as a result of that loss, paralyzation or partial 
     paralyzation, or blindness, to require the use of a 
     wheelchair, prosthetic limb, or other assistive device to aid 
     with mobility.''.
       (b) Coordination on Implementation.--Not later than 180 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration 
     and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly--
       (1) develop and implement a process for providing the 
     Transportation Security Administration with access to the 
     data needed to validate the eligibility of a veteran for the 
     PreCheck Program under section 44927(g) of title 49, United 
     States Code, as added by subsection (a); and
       (2) submit to Congress a report on the status of 
     implementing the process required by paragraph (1).

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