[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89022-89024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25701]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Transportation Security Administration
RIN 1652-ZA18
TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program Fee
AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administers
the
[[Page 89023]]
TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program, in which individuals
determined to be low-risk travelers may receive expedited airport
security screening. To apply for TSA Precheck[supreg] eligibility,
individuals submit biometric and biographic information that TSA uses
to verify identity and conduct a security threat assessment and submit
fees to cover the costs associated with the program. TSA announces in
this Notice that, under certain circumstances, the membership renewal
fee will be reduced by $11.25 due to changes related to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fee for criminal history checks.
DATES: This notice is effective November 12, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Walbridge, Transportation
Security Administration, 6595 Springfield Center Drive, Springfield, VA
20598-6047; by phone at (240) 568-5372, or email at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Notice Document
You can get an electronic copy using the internet by--
(1) Accessing the Government Printing Office's web page at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR to view
the daily published Federal Register edition; or accessing the ``Search
the Federal Register by Citation'' in the ``Related Resources'' column
on the left, if you need to do a Simple or Advanced search for
information, such as a type of document that crosses multiple agencies
or dates; or
(2) Visiting TSA's Security Regulations web page at https://www.tsa.gov and accessing the link for ``Stakeholders'' at the top of
the page, then the link ``Research Center'' in the left column.
In addition, copies are available by writing or calling the
individual in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
I. Background
A. Overview of TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program
The TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program is a voluntary,
expedited security screening program connecting low-risk travelers
departing from the United States with smarter security and a better air
travel experience.\1\ As of August 2024, there are approximately 20
million members in the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program.
Individuals enrolled in the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program
are eligible to receive expedited screening at U.S. airports. As
explained in its Notice establishing the program,\2\ membership in the
TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program is within the sole discretion
of TSA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For purpose of this document, the ``TSA PreCheck[supreg]
Application Program'' refers to the DHS Trusted Traveler Program
that TSA operates to determine if individuals are low-risk and may
receive expedited screening. ``TSA PreCheck[supreg]'' refers to
expedited screening provided by TSA.
\2\ See Notice, 78 FR 72922 (Dec. 4, 2013).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSA established the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program in
December 2013 to expand access to expedited screening to individuals
who voluntarily provide information that TSA uses to determine whether
the traveler is low risk.\3\ TSA uses biographic and biometric
information the applicant provides to conduct a security threat
assessment (STA) that includes review of criminal history, immigration,
intelligence, and regulatory violation records. During the enrollment
process, TSA requires applicants to present government-issued identity
documents with a photo to prove their identity and that they are a U.S.
person.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following enrollment, TSA evaluates the information generated by
the vetting process to determine whether the individual poses a low
risk to transportation and national security. Once completed, the STA
remains valid for 5 years, provided the individual continues to meet
the eligibility standards. At the end of the 5-year term, individuals
wishing to maintain their membership must renew it by completing a new
STA and paying renewal fees.
If TSA determines that the applicant is low risk, TSA issues a
Known Traveler Number (KTN) \4\ that the individual enters when making
flight reservations. Enrollment in the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application
Program and use of the associated KTN do not guarantee that an
individual will receive expedited screening at airport security
checkpoints. TSA retains an element of randomness to maintain
unpredictability for security purposes, and travelers with valid KTNs
may be selected for additional physical screening on occasion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The Known Traveler Number is a component of Secure Flight
Passenger Data, which is defined in TSA Secure Flight regulations at
49 CFR 1560.3. See also the Secure Flight regulations at 49 CFR part
1560.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
An individual is ineligible for a KTN and access to TSA
PreCheck[supreg] expedited screening if TSA determines the individual
poses a risk to transportation or national security; has committed
certain criminal acts; \5\ does not meet the immigration status
standards; \6\ has committed regulatory violations; \7\ or is otherwise
not a low-risk traveler. TSA notifies individuals who it determines are
ineligible for a KTN or whose membership in the program is revoked, in
writing, and they continue to undergo standard screening at airport
security checkpoints.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See 49 CFR 1572.103 for the criminal standards that apply to
TSA PreCheck[supreg] applicants.
\6\ Individuals who apply for membership in the TSA
PreCheck[supreg] Application Program must be U.S. citizens, U.S.
Nationals, or Lawful Permanent Residents.
\7\ For instance, an individual who interferes with security
screening or brings a weapon to the security checkpoint would be
deemed ineligible for TSA PreCheck[supreg] expedited screening and
their membership in the program may be revoked.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Program Fees
TSA is required by law to collect a non-refundable fee to cover the
costs of operating the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program.\8\
Collecting biographic and biometric information from applicants,
conducting the STA, adjudicating the results of the STA, and managing
the program \9\ generate costs for TSA, the enrollment providers who
TSA has selected to conduct enrollment, and the FBI who processes the
fingerprint-based criminal history records check. Consistent with the
statutory mandate, TSA established a fee structure for new TSA
PreCheck[supreg] enrollments and renewals. The fee includes a TSA fee,
an FBI fee, and an enrollment provider fee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ See sec. 540 of the DHS appropriations act of 2006, Public
Law 109-90 (119 Stat. 2064, 2088-89, Oct. 18, 2005); 49 U.S.C. 114
(note).
\9\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The TSA fee recovers TSA's costs to analyze the immigration,
terrorism, criminal, and regulatory violation information generated in
the vetting process to determine whether applicants meet all
eligibility requirements; notify applicants of TSA's determination;
issue KTNs to eligible individuals; conduct research and development
for innovative improvements to enrollment, expedited screening, and
overall airport experience; expand the TSA PreCheck[supreg]: Touchless
Identity Solution; \10\ and continue to monitor databases and
information to confirm that members remain low risk. The current TSA
fee is $42.75.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ For more information on the Touchless Identity Solution,
visit tsa.gov/digital-id.
\11\ If it is necessary to change this fee in the future, TSA
will notify the public through publication of a Notice in the
Federal Register.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FBI fee covers the FBI's costs to compare fingerprints against
the national criminal databases and return any results to TSA. This fee
also
[[Page 89024]]
includes subscription in the FBI Rap Back program, which provides TSA
notification of any new criminal activity or information. The FBI
determines when it is necessary to change its fee for this service and
publishes a Notice of those changes in the Federal Register.\12\ TSA
ensures that the current FBI fee is collected during enrollment and
transmitted to the FBI. The current FBI fee is $11.25.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ See https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/08/04/2022-16668/fbis-criminal-justice-information-services-division-user-fee-schedule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The enrollment provider fee covers the cost of the vendor's
enrollment products and services to include costs to establish and
maintain enrollment centers; equip and staff the centers; develop and
maintain the information technology infrastructure to securely collect
and transmit applicant data; and administer these services. The
enrollment provider collects this fee directly from the applicant
during enrollment and retains it; TSA does not ingest, transfer, or
retain the enrollment provider fee.
When the TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application Program launched in 2013,
the enrollment provider fee was set via contract. TSA recompeted this
contract in 2019. The contract was awarded to IDEMIA and set an updated
enrollment provider fee. In 2018, Congress passed the TSA Modernization
Act \13\ requiring TSA to increase the number of enrollment providers
in the TSA PreCheck[supreg] program. This legislation sought to add
competition, capabilities, and options to the enrollment process and
provides that TSA must select at least two additional enrollment
vendors to conduct enrollment under Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs)
with TSA. Unlike a contract, an OTA permits the vendor to establish its
fees and the services it wishes to provide, rather than having them set
by TSA, which increases the opportunity for options and services for
the applicants. Applicants can choose an enrollment provider based on
the services it provides in addition to TSA PreCheck[supreg]
enrollment. Nothing in the OTA process prevents TSA and the FBI from
receiving their respective fees. TSA entered into OTAs with IDEMIA,\14\
Alclear, LLC and Telos Identity Management Solutions, LLC in 2020 to
provide enrollment services for the TSA PreCheck[supreg] program. TSA
maintains a list of the overall fees to enroll in TSA PreCheck[supreg],
by enrollment provider, at www.tsa.gov/precheck. These fees include the
TSA fee, the FBI fee, and the enrollment provider fee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ TSA Modernization Act, division K--title I of the FAA
Reauthorization Act sec. 1937(f), Public Law 115-254, 132 Stat. 3186
(Oct. 5, 2018).
\14\ IDEMIA has an OTA with TSA for the TSA PreCheck[supreg]
Application Program and a contract for TSA enrollment, to include
TSA PreCheck[supreg].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Reduced Renewal Fee
In May 2021, TSA began subscribing TSA PreCheck[supreg] Application
Program members in the FBI's Rap Back service.\15\ The FBI currently
charges $11.25 to process fingerprints for the criminal history records
check and retain them in the FBI's Next Generation Identification
system. The FBI then allows TSA to subscribe individuals in Rap Back at
no additional cost. Currently, the FBI permits an individual seeking to
renew TSA PreCheck[supreg] membership to remain subscribed in Rap Back
if their STA has not expired and the enrollment provider remains the
same. In these cases, the FBI does not charge the $11.25 FBI fee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ Rap Back is an optional service offered by the FBI that
provides authorized users with the capability to subscribe an
individual to receive notification of subsequent triggering
information, such as a new criminal arrest or the disposition of an
old arrest, involving that individual during the term of enrollment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSA's contract with IDEMIA requires this $11.25 savings to be
passed on to the renewing individual. Providers operating under an OTA
with TSA may, but are not required, to pass this savings on to the
individual. As stated above, the OTA process permits the provider to
set its fees and services, which applicants may take into account when
choosing a provider.
TSA will continue to maintain a current listing of the overall fees
for all enrollment and renewal options at www.tsa.gov/precheck.
Dated: October 30, 2024.
Stacey Fitzmaurice,
Executive Assistant Administrator, Operations Support.
[FR Doc. 2024-25701 Filed 11-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-05-P