Courier November Courier | Page 15

security screening lines across the
country. The TSA, which has been criti-
cized for this issue, has recently been
screening record numbers of passengers
without many problems, but airline
and airport leaders, along with aviation
advocates, are worried that this success
will not continue for long.
Airports Council International cited
aging screening technology and an
insufficient number of screeners as
the cause of TSA’s problems. TSA has
attempted to reduce wait times by tak-
ing screeners from some airports and
deploying them at other airports, which
has led to new problems.
ACI has suggested that the best long-
term solution is to increase funding for
TSA. The 9/11 passenger security fee,
which was originally established to help
fund TSA, has been diverted for several
years to help reduce federal debt. ACI says
that $1.28 billion in 9/11 security fees has
been used not for TSA funding, but for
subsidizing other federal programs.
A House-passed reauthorization bill
for the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security prevents the diversion of
the 9/11 security fee. So far, though,
there has been no willingness on the
Senate side to make this change. Some
Senate appropriators, including Sen.
John Boozman, R-Ark., have criticized
President Trump’s proposal to increase
TSA ticket fees by $1, a plan that would
help the TSA deal with its operational
costs. However, this plan does not
explicitly call for an end to the 9/11
security fee diversion.
On Sept. 28, following a week of
multiple hearings in both chambers of
Congress focusing on aviation security
and the TSA, the Senate Commerce
Committee introduced the TSA
Modernization Act. Sponsors of the pro-
posal say it would reform TSA’s organi-
zational structure, advance the develop-
ment and acquisition of new security
technologies, improve public-area secu-
rity and mitigate frustrating security
delays. The bill would reauthorize TSA
aviation security policies and programs,
and it would also authorize TSA fund-
ing for three years: $7.81 billion in fiscal
year 2018, $7.85 billion in FY 2019 and
$7.89 billion in FY 2020. (The budget for
TSA in FY 2017 was $7.77 billion.)
With the recently passed six-month
Federal Aviation Administration exten-
sion, many members of Congress are now
focused on aviation and the security of the
traveling public. This is evident through the
introduction of the Senate TSA bill. Provi-
sions within the bill, including stabilizing
leadership through the establishment of
five-year administrator terms, expansion of
TSA PreCheck, real-time reporting of secu-
rity wait times and deploying new security
technology, clearly show that Congress
understands the importance of the travel
and tourism industry.
With consistent engagement from
NTA and other travel coalitions and
industry groups, our elected officials
will continue to pay attention to the
needs of such a vital sector.
Signal Group is a Washington, D.C.,
lobbying firm retained by NTA to advise
members about travel-related issues
and legislation.
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