Two pieces of legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) were included on Thursday in an FAA reauthorization bill being considered by the Senate.
U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) included the TSA PreCheck Expansion Act, H.R. 2843, and the Securing Aviation from Foreign Points and Guarding Airports Through Enhanced Security (SAFE GATES) Act, H.R. 4698, in the FAA reauthorization bill.
“Together, as partners in Congress, we can make the traveling public more secure and promote the free movement of the American people across the country and around the world,” Katko, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, said. “As my district understands all too well from the Lockerbie Bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103, which took the lives of 35 Syracuse University students and the sister of one of my closest friends, the terrorist threats against are aviation sector are persistent and real.”
The TSA PreCheck Expansion Act would expand enrollment, marketing and identity verification for the TSA’s PreCheck program, while the SAFE GATES Act would take steps to improve security at international airports that offer direct flights into the U.S.
Both bills were inserted into the FAA reauthorization bill as an amendment that was approved by a margin of 89-10.
“It is vital that these two pieces of legislation get to the president’s desk, and I’m glad to see the Senate moving these reforms forward,” Katko said.