The U.S. House of Representatives on June 25 approved two bipartisan proposals introduced by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) that would bolster the national security efforts and internal processes of the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The Surface Transportation Security and Technology Accountability Act of 2018, H.R. 5081, which Rep. Katko introduced on Feb. 23, and the Transportation Security Technology Innovation Reform Act of 2018, H.R. 5730, unveiled on May 9, passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support. U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) are the original cosponsors of H.R. 5081 and H.R. 5730.
“As chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee, I’ve worked to enhance accountability and transparency within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) so that this agency is able to adapt and address evolving threats,” Rep. Katko said.
“The bipartisan measures passed by the House … work towards these goals and will help ensure our country’s transportation systems are safer and modernized to function in the present threat landscape.”
According to a statement from the lawmaker’s staff, the bills are the 13th and 14th bipartisan measures that Rep. Katko has moved through the House during this congressional session.
Specifically, H.R. 5081 would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct TSA to establish an internal Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee, which would advise the TSA on surface transportation security. The bill would also require TSA to consult with the advisory committee when preparing updates to the five-year technology investment plan and to include a classified addendum to report sensitive transportation security risks and associated capability gaps, according to the congressional record summary.
H.R. 5081 would bring in outside expertise in an advisory role to create better strategies for TSA to improve long-term acquisition processes, according to a summary provided by Rep. Katko’s office, and would open lines of communication between the public and stakeholders in the surface transportation sector.
The proposed Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee would be comprised of surface transportation stakeholders, who would ensure TSA took a holistic approach to handling myriad threats, according to the congressman’s summary.
H.R. 5730 would establish a Transportation Security Administration Systems Integration Facility for the purpose of testing and evaluating advanced transportation security screening technologies, and to allow TSA to review its existing advanced transportation security screening technology development, acquisitions and procurement practices, according to the congressional record summary.
Rep. Katko’s staff said this would help TSA address growing criticism around its lack of cogent and transparent acquisition processes. Currently, bureaucratic hindrances and limited capacity create a large backlog of untested technologies, his staff said in a statement, so H.R. 5730 would encourage collaboration between TSA and the industry, and would improve testing and evaluation.
The U.S. Senate on June 26 received both bills, which have been referred to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for consideration.