[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6695-S6696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY SCREENING MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2024
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 484, S. 3959.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 3959) to require the Transportation Security
Administration to streamline the enrollment processes for
individuals applying for a Transportation Security
Administration security threat assessment for certain
programs, including the Transportation Worker Identification
Credential and Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat
Assessment programs of the Administration, and for other
purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation with an amendment to strike all after the enacting
clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Transportation Security
Screening Modernization Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
(2) HAZMAT endorsement.--The term ``HAZMAT Endorsement''
means the Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat Assessment
program authorized under section 5103a of title 49, United
States Code.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and the territories and
possessions of the United States.
(4) TSA.--The term ``TSA'' means the Transportation
Security Administration.
(5) TWIC.--The term ``TWIC'' means the Transportation
Worker Identification Credential authorized under section
70105 of title 46, United States Code.
SEC. 3. STREAMLINING OF APPLICATIONS FOR CERTAIN SECURITY
THREAT ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS OF THE
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Streamlining.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall take such
actions as are necessary, including issuance of an interim
final rule if needed, to streamline the procedures for
individuals applying for or renewing enrollment in more than
one TSA security threat assessment program, in particular,
the TWIC and HAZMAT Endorsement programs, and any other
credentialing programs as determined by the Administrator,
by--
(A) permitting an individual to enroll at any TSA
authorized enrollment center once for a threat assessment
program endorsement and use the application, including
associated biometric and biographic data, as well as
information generated by TSA's vetting, for one of such
programs to enroll in any other of such programs;
(B) permitting an individual to visit any TSA authorized
enrollment center and enroll in more than one TSA security
threat assessment program at the same time for a fee that is
less than the cumulative fee that would otherwise be incurred
for each such program separately;
(C) permitting an individual to undergo a streamlined and
expeditious renewal process;
(D) aligning the expiration of an individual's successful,
valid eligibility determination with the expiration of that
individual's eligibility to participate in subsequent TSA
security threat assessment programs to which the individual
applies;
(E) providing to States the expiration dates for each
individual's TSA security threat assessment to ensure a
commercial driver's license of an individual who holds a
HAZMAT Endorsement does not indicate the individual is
authorized to transport hazardous materials after the
expiration date of the enrollment of the individual in the
HAZMAT Endorsement security threat assessment program if such
commercial driver's license has an expiration date that is
different from the expiration date of such enrollment; and
(F) enrolling an individual in a subsequent TSA security
threat assessment program at the minimum cost necessary for
the TSA to cover printing, issuance, and case management
costs, costs associated with the collection of any additional
biometric and biographic data in accordance with paragraph
(3), and other costs that are not duplicative.
(2) State requirements for streamlining.--Not later than 6
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
States shall carry out the responsibilities of the States
pursuant to section 5103a of title 49, United States Code.
(3) Special rule.--If an individual under this subsection
is at different times applying for or renewing enrollment in
more than one TSA security threat assessment program, such
individual may be required to revisit a TSA authorized
enrollment center for the collection of additional data, such
as biometrics, necessary for any such program that were not
so collected in connection with any other such program.
(b) Publication.--The Administrator shall post on a
publicly available website of the TSA information relating to
the streamlining of the
[[Page S6696]]
enrollment processes for individuals applying for more than
one TSA security threat assessment program described in
subsection (a).
(c) Expedited Rulemaking.--Notwithstanding sections 551
through 559 of title 5, United States Code, nothing in this
section shall require notice and comment rulemaking, and to
the extent it is necessary to add additional requirements for
which limited rulemaking may be advisable, the Administrator
shall implement such requirements through publication of an
interim final rule.
(d) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief
Congress on progress made toward the implementation of this
section.
SEC. 4. ELIMINATING DUPLICATIVE COSTS.
(a) Audit.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall audit the administration of the security threat
assessment programs by the TSA and the States, including the
TWIC and HAZMAT Endorsement programs.
(b) Elements.--
(1) TSA audit.--In conducting the audit of the TSA required
by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall--
(A) identify any redundancies and duplications in costs and
administration of security threat assessment programs that if
eliminated would not impact national security and any
benefits of eliminating such redundancies and duplications
and improving the experiences for individuals applying for or
renewing enrollment in more than one TSA security threat
assessment program;
(B) review the impacts of the implementation by the TSA of
recommendations from previous studies conducted by the
Comptroller General, including GAO-07-756 and GAO-17-182, on
increasing the efficiency and effectiveness, and reducing
costs, of processing applications for enrollment and renewal
in TSA security threat assessment programs;
(C) review the findings of the assessment required by
section 1(b) of the Act entitled ``An Act to require the
Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a comprehensive
security assessment of the transportation security card
program, and for other purposes'', approved December 16, 2016
(46 U.S.C. 70105 note; Public Law 114-278) and determine
whether the TSA has implemented any remedies to redundancies
and duplication identified by that assessment and whether
such implementation impacted national security;
(D) determine whether there are unique challenges rural
applicants have with accessing TSA security threat assessment
programs;
(E) assess the numbers and locations of enrollment centers
for meeting the needs of such programs, including determining
the access provided to rural applicants;
(F) identify potential opportunities that exist to improve
the enrollment center operations of and customer experience
with such programs;
(G) identify potential opportunities to harmonize the
enrollment, vetting, and renewal processes of such programs
in which similar information is collected for similar
security threat assessment processes for different vetted
credentials while not impacting national security;
(H) identify other ways the TSA can reduce the costs of the
TSA security threat assessment programs while not impacting
national security; and
(I) review the vetting, application, and enrollment
processes of each TSA security threat assessment program.
(2) State audit.--In conducting the audit of the States
required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall
review--
(A) the administration of the HAZMAT Endorsement program by
the States;
(B) methods by which the States could streamline the HAZMAT
Endorsement program; and
(C) any potential barriers States face administering TSA
security threat assessment programs for individuals applying
to TWIC and the HAZMAT Endorsement program or individuals
that already have a TWIC credential.
(c) Report and Recommendations.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the completion of the audit required by
subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Administrator, the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee
on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report
that includes--
(1) a summary and analysis of the costs associated with the
operation and administration of each individual TSA security
threat assessment program;
(2) a summary and analysis of the application and
enrollment costs associated with providing an individual
multiple credentials under TSA security threat assessment
programs;
(3) an identification of any potential duplicative
processes associated with an applicant applying for, or the
vetting or enrollment by the TSA of an individual in, a
subsequent or multiple TSA security threat assessment
programs;
(4) a breakdown of costs borne by applicants for current
enrollment and renewal processes of such programs;
(5) ways to improve access to such programs, including for
rural applicants;
(6) any potential recommendations to the TSA for reducing
costs and streamlining the administration and operation of
each TSA security threat assessment program while not
impacting national security;
(7) any potential recommendations for the TSA to administer
such programs in a way that would improve national security;
and
(8) any potential recommendations for ways States can
improve their role in administering the HAZMAT Endorsement
program and streamline the application process or reduce
costs for individuals seeking multiple transportation
security credentials.
(d) Implementation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the receipt of the report required by subsection (c), the
Administrator shall--
(A) implement the recommendations from such report;
(B) provide to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives a written
notification detailing--
(i) the timeline for implementation of each recommendation
from the report;
(ii) justifications for any implementation timeline lasting
longer than 2 years; and
(iii) justifications for recommendations that the
Administrator has declined to pursue or implement.
(2) Briefings.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the receipt of the report required by subsection (c), and
annually thereafter until the date that the TSA has
implemented each recommendation made in such report, the
Administrator shall brief the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives on the
implementation of recommendations from the report.
Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as
amended, 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 committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was
agreed to.
The bill (S. 3959), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
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