[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 113-27
113th Congress

An Act


 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to provide
expedited air passenger screening to severely injured or disabled
members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans,
and for other purposes. <>

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 ``Helping Heroes Fly Act''.
SEC. 2. OPERATIONS CENTER PROGRAM FOR SEVERELY INJURED OR DISABLED
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND SEVERELY
INJURED OR DISABLED VETERANS.

(a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 449 of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 44927. Expedited screening for severely injured or disabled
members of the Armed Forces and severely
injured or disabled veterans

``(a) <>  Passenger Screening.--The Assistant
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs, and organizations identified by the Secretaries of
Defense and Veteran Affairs that advocate on behalf of severely injured
or disabled members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled
veterans, shall develop and implement a process to support and
facilitate the ease of travel and to the extent possible provide
expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled
members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans
through passenger screening. The process shall be designed to offer the
individual private screening to the maximum extent practicable.

``(b) Operations Center.--As part of the process under subsection
(a), the Assistant Secretary shall maintain an operations center to
provide support and facilitate the movement of severely injured or
disabled members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled
veterans through passenger screening prior to boarding a passenger
aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air
transportation or intrastate air transportation.
``(c) Protocols.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
``(1) <>  establish and
publish protocols, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the
organizations identified under subsection (a), under which a
severely injured or disabled member of the Armed

[[Page 504]]

Forces or severely injured or disabled veteran, or the family
member or other representative of such member or veteran, may
contact the operations center maintained under subsection (b)
and request the expedited passenger screening services described
in subsection (a) for that member or veteran; and
``(2) <>  upon receipt of a request
under paragraph (1), require the operations center to notify the
appropriate Federal Security Director of the request for
expedited passenger screening services, as described in
subsection (a), for that member or veteran.

``(d) Training.--The Assistant Secretary shall integrate training on
the protocols established under subsection (c) into the training
provided to all employees who will regularly provide the passenger
screening services described in subsection (a).
``(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall affect
the authority of the Assistant Secretary to require additional screening
of a severely injured or disabled member of the Armed Forces, a severely
injured or disabled veteran, or their accompanying family members or
nonmedical attendants, if intelligence, law enforcement, or other
information indicates that additional screening is necessary.
``(f) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this section, and annually thereafter, the Assistant Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this section. Each
report shall include each of the following:
``(1) Information on the training provided under subsection
(d).
``(2) Information on the consultations between the Assistant
Secretary and the organizations identified under subsection (a).
``(3) The number of people who accessed the operations
center during the period covered by the report.
``(4) Such other information as the Assistant Secretary
determines is appropriate.''.

(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
subchapter I of chapter 449 of title 49, United States

[[Page 505]]

Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 44926
the following new item:

``44927. Expedited screening for severely injured or disabled members of
the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled
veterans.''.

Approved August 9, 2013.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1344:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 159 (2013):
May 21, considered and passed House.
Aug. 1, considered and passed Senate, amended.
Aug. 2, House concurred in Senate amendment.