Expanding Private Airport Security Screening Act

Key Points

• This bill allows airport managers to hire private security companies to handle passenger and bag checks instead of using federal TSA agents. Currently, most airports use government employees for these tasks, but this change would make it easier for airports to switch to private contractors.
• Private security companies would have to follow the same rules and training standards as the TSA. To be eligible, these companies must be owned by U.S. citizens and prove they can provide the same level of safety as the federal government.
• The TSA would still keep federal supervisors and law enforcement officers at these airports. They would be responsible for watching over the private workers, testing their performance with secret drills, and providing extra training if needed.
• Airport owners would be protected from most lawsuits if a private security worker makes a mistake or acts poorly. This legal protection is meant to encourage more airports to try using private companies for their security needs.
• The government would be required to publish annual reports for the public to see. These reports would compare the costs and safety performance of private security companies against the traditional TSA workforce to see which is more effective.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.