Bill Banning Non-Members From TSA Pre-Check Passes House

0 0 September 9, 2018 Edit this post

© Flickr The PreCheck Is PreCheck Act of 2018 (H.R.6265) is making its way through Congress and just received approval by a voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. (photo via Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski)

By Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse

Have you noticed longer lines at TSA Pre-Check lately? Sometimes, in order to alleviate congestion in main security lines, travelers viewed as low-risk have been allowed into Pre-Check lanes.

However, those passengers have not necessarily been pre-screened or paid the membership fees associated with Pre-Check lanes—and screened members have noticed and their voices are being heard.

The PreCheck Is PreCheck Act of 2018 (H.R.6265) is making its way through Congress and just received approval by a voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill has the backing of the Global Business Travel Association, which issued a letter to the House Homeland Security Committee.

“PreCheck offers business travelers a risk-based, intelligence-driven aviation security that is fast, safe and efficient," GBTA said. "Time is money for business travelers, and inefficient procedures reduce business travel due to the hassle factor and ultimately hurt the economy."

The bill directs “directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure that only travelers who are members of a trusted traveler program are permitted to use TSA PreCheck security screening lanes at TSA checkpoints,” according to the Congressional summary.

It also directs the TSA to create additional segmented lanes for passengers based on risk, allowing passengers that are deemed low-risk to undergo modified screening at checkpoints.

Now that the bill has passed the House, it will move to the Senate but has not yet been scheduled for consideration.

While this may seem like good news for business travelers, it's not the first time that TSA has said it was cracking down on non-members in Pre-Check lanes. The TSA cracked down on individuals using these expedited lanes back in 2015 because the program had become "diluted" and non-screened members were making the lines longer. Hopefully, the new law will put an end to the use of Pre-Check lanes for passengers not deemed Trusted Travelers once and for all.