[House Report 116-192] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] 116th Congress } { Report HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session } { 116-192 ====================================================================== HELPING FAMILIES FLY ACT OF 2019 _______ August 30, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed _______ Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, from the Committee on Homeland Security, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany H.R. 3694] [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 3694) to require the Transportation Security Administration to implement training for frontline Administration personnel regarding the screening of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger screening checkpoints, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. CONTENTS Page Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1 Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2 Hearings......................................................... 2 Committee Consideration.......................................... 2 Committee Votes.................................................. 2 Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 2 C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures............................................... 3 Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 4 Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives Duplicative Federal Programs..................................... 4 Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits Advisory Committee Statement Applicability to Legislative Branch Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 4 PURPOSE AND SUMMARY The purpose of H.R 3694, the ``Helping Families Fly Act of 2019,'' is to require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement training for frontline personnel regarding the screening of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger screening checkpoints. In conjunction with the implementation of the training required, this bill requires the TSA Administrator to develop and implement a communication strategy for pregnant women and families traveling with children to inform them of procedures, including communications through social media, the TSA website, customer service representatives, and partnerships with aviation stakeholders, including air carriers and airport operators. Lastly, this bill requires the Administrator to ensure TSA passenger support specialists are available upon request for pregnant women and families and requires TSA to conduct a study on the feasibility of installing screening lanes dedicated to families traveling with young children at airport checkpoints. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION TSA screens millions of aviation passengers and their property every day. Though, TSA has stated that it aims to provide each passenger with a safe, fair, and efficient screening process, many pregnant women and families with young children have complained about current screening procedures. H.R. 3694 seeks to address concerns by requiring improved training for TSA officers. Additionally, this bill seeks to better inform pregnant women and families of TSA procedures and offer passenger support specialists for a more efficient airport experience. This bill also requires TSA to explore the feasibility of installing dedicated screening lanes for pregnant women and families as a potential solution to improving the checkpoint screening experience. HEARINGS For the purpose of section 103(i) of H. Res 6. Of the 116th Congress the following related hearing was held: A Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee hearing on February 27, 2018, entitled, ``The Public Face of TSA: Examining the Agency's Outreach and Traveler Engagement Efforts,'' at which TSA's screening protocols and communications were discussed. COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION The Committee met on July 17, 2019, with a quorum being present, to consider H.R. 3694 and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, without amendment, by unanimous consent. COMMITTEE VOTES Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. No recorded votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 3694. COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office. U.S. Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, August 28, 2019. Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3694, the Helping Families Fly Act of 2019. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Madeleine Fox. Sincerely, Phillip L. Swagel, Director. Enclosure.H.R. 3694 would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop and implement training for personnel with respect to screening pregnant woman and families with young children. In addition, the bill would require TSA to assess the feasibility of creating designated security lines at airports for families with young children. Using information from TSA, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3694 would cost less than $500,000; any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Madeleine Fox. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office. DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds that H.R. 3694 does not contain any provision that establishes or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another Federal program. PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 3694 seeks to improve the screening experience for pregnant women and young families at the nation's airports. ADVISORY ON EARMARKS In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of the rule XXI. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION Section 1. Short title This section provides that this bill may be cited as the ``Helping Families Fly Act of 2019''. Sec 2. Training required This section requires the TSA Administrator, within one year of enactment, to develop and implement a training for frontline TSA personnel regarding the screening of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger screening checkpoints. This training shall include the following: information relating to concerns of pregnant women's use of Advanced Imaging Technology and appropriate opt-out procedures and alternative screening procedures; guidelines to assist pregnant women and families traveling with young children; and communication and procedural guidelines for frontline TSA personnel to assist with passenger divestiture for pregnant women and families traveling with young children. Additionally, this section requires the implementation of a communication strategy to inform women and families of procedures and guidelines through social media, the TSA website, customer service representatives, and partnerships with aviation stakeholders, including air carriers and airport operators. This section requires passenger support specialists to be available upon request, to the extent possible, for pregnant women and families, and it requires TSA to conduct a study on the feasibility of installing screening lanes dedicated to families traveling with young children at appropriate airport checkpoints. Finally, this section requires a briefing to Congress on its implementation and defines the terms used in this section including ``Administration'', ``Administrator'', and ``Appropriate Congressional Committees''. [all]