[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RIGHTS FOR TRANSPORTATION SECURITY OFFICERS ACT OF 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2020

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in strong support of H.R. 
1140, the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020, 
which will create civil service protections for TSA employees that are 
long overdue.
  H.R. 1140, mandates the conversion of all covered employees and 
positions within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to 
the provisions of title 5, United State Code.
  The bill represents a longstanding priority for Chairman Thompson, 
the bill's author, and my own as a former chair of the Homeland 
Security Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation Security to extend 
the rights and protections afford to all federal government employees 
to TSA personnel.
  Several versions of the bill have been introduced over the past 
decade, but this Congress is the first time the bill has received 
overwhelming, bipartisan support, with 236 cosponsors including 10 
Republicans.
  The legislation curtails TSA's broad authorities to create and 
control its personnel systems, instead requiring TSA to abide by the 
provisions of title 5 which regulate personnel systems for most Federal 
agencies.
  The bill would provide TSA employees with the workforce protections 
and benefits available to most other Federal workers.
  The bill sets forth transition rules to protect the rate of pay and 
other rights of TSA employees during a transition to title 5.
  The bill also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to consult 
with the appropriate labor organizations to carry out the transition.
  This bill does not affect prohibitions against disloyalty and 
asserting the right to strike against the federal government.
  The bill also extends the timeline for the transition from 60 days to 
a more realistic 180 days, and it contains language to protect 
employees with grievances or disciplinary actions pending during the 
transition.
  On the morning of September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed 
in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania 
and Virginia.
  The attacks resulted in the creation of the Transportation Security 
Administration, which was designed to prevent similar attacks in the 
future by removing the responsibility for transportation security from 
private entities.
  The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th 
Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA just 2 months 
following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
  The urgent need to provide a response to the available security 
threat was facing meant that much of the work to provide administrative 
structure and integration measures that would have woven in the civil 
service protections now be added did not occur at that time.
  The TSA's mission is to protect the nation's transportation systems 
to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.
  The work of the TSA is a frontline Department of Homeland Security 
and it is not easy--it can in fact be very dangerous.
  Like many of my colleagues, I recall the shooting incident at LAX 
that killed Gerardo Hernandez, who became the first TSA officer killed 
in the line of duty; and the machete attack at the Louis Armstrong New 
Orleans International Airport that resulted in injuries to Senior 
Transportation Security Officer Carol Richel.
  These incidents only highlight the difficult work that the men and 
women of the TSA must perform each day to keep our nation's airports 
and flights safe.
  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) supports several key parts 
of the U.S. coronavirus response.
  The TSA is responsible for: enforcing the travel restrictions for all 
flights that are carrying individuals who have recently traveled from 
China; notifying passengers and travelers of risks of contracting the 
virus; and coordinating with air carriers and airports to discuss 
government actions and seek input (TSA).
  Allegations about mismanagement, wasteful procedures, retaliation 
against whistleblowers, low morale, and security gaps within the Agency 
are causes for concern.
  TSA has consistently struggled with low morale across the workforce, 
ranking 303 out of 305 government agencies in 2016.
  Low morale has a nexus to the high turnover rate within the ranks of 
Transportation Security Officers (TSOs).
  TSOs represent 70 percent of the TSA workforce, yet have been denied 
full collective bargaining rights, whistleblower protections, and 
opportunities to effectively raise issues in dispute to an independent 
third party, such as the Merit Systems Protection Board.
  Additionally, TSOs are subject to a pay and performance system that 
does not track with the General Services (GS) wage system, the primary 
wage system for Federal workers.
  It is past time to make the changes provided by H.R. 1140, so the TSA 
workforce is treated equally to other federal employees with the power 
to advance and expand their opportunities as government employees.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 1140.

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