Blackburn offers bill to expand TSA PreCheck in rural areas

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Sept. 15 sponsored a bill that would require online enrollment for the PreCheck Program of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“This corrective legislation will get the TSA back on track to provide secure, user-friendly mobile enrollment options for rural Americans,” said Sen. Blackburn, who introduced the Mobile Enrollment Act, S. 4577, with U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD).

If enacted, S. 4577 specifically would enable Americans in rural communities to enroll online, rather than making an unnecessary trip to an airport during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Sen. Blackburn’s office.

“The federal government needs to continue to adapt to the needs of the pandemic, and prioritizing access to government resources for rural Tennesseans will continue to be at the top of my list,” Sen. Blackburn said, noting that the bill also would “create opportunities for public and private entities to join forces in validating identity through mobile biometric capture.”

Additionally, the measure would create new high-skilled engineering jobs in Franklin, Tenn., where IDEMIA, the current Universal Enrollment Service contract holder, employs 300 people and which conducts TSA’s PreCheck and other vetting programs, according to the senator’s office.

The bill has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.