Helping Families Fly Act of 2019

Helping Families Fly Act of 2019

This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement training for its frontline personnel regarding the screening of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger screening checkpoints, including (1) information related the use of advanced imaging technology on pregnant women, as well as opt-out and alternative screening procedures; and (2) guidelines and procedures for efficiently and respectfully screening pregnant women and families with young children.

The TSA must also

• create a strategy for communicating procedures and guidelines to pregnant women and families with young children, including through social media, and its customer service call center;
• make passenger support specialists available to assist such women and families with screening checkpoint information; and
• assess the feasibility of developing dedicated screening lanes for such families.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3694 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3694

  To require the Transportation Security Administration to implement 
training for frontline Administration personnel regarding the screening 
    of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger 
             screening checkpoints, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 11, 2019

Mrs. Lesko (for herself and Mr. Correa) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Transportation Security Administration to implement 
training for frontline Administration personnel regarding the screening 
    of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger 
             screening checkpoints, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Families Fly Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TRAINING REQUIRED.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall develop and implement 
training for frontline Administration personnel regarding the screening 
of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger 
screening checkpoints. Such training shall include the following:
            (1) Information relating to concerns of pregnant women 
        relating to the use of Advanced Imaging Technology and 
        appropriate opt-out procedures and alternative screening 
        procedures.
            (2) Guidelines to assist pregnant women and families 
        traveling with young children effectively and efficiently 
        complete the screening process in a manner that is respectful 
        and improves the overall functioning of the screening 
        checkpoint.
            (3) Communication and procedural guidelines for frontline 
        Administration personnel to assist with passenger divestiture 
        for pregnant women and families traveling with young children 
        to improve the effectiveness and overall passenger experience 
        at the screening checkpoint.
    (b) Communications Strategy.--In conjunction with the 
implementation of the training required under subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall develop and implement a communications strategy for 
pregnant women and families traveling with young children to inform 
such women and families of the procedures and guidelines described in 
such subsection, including providing information to relevant passengers 
through social media, the Administration's public website, the 
Administration's customer service call center, and partnerships with 
aviation stakeholders, including air carriers and airport operators.
    (c) Passenger Support Specialists.--In carrying out subsections (a) 
and (b), the Administrator shall, to the extent possible, make 
available passenger support specialists, upon request, to pregnant 
women and families traveling with young children to assist with 
screening checkpoint information, concerns, and procedures.
    (d) TSA Family Lanes Feasibility Assessment.--Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall conduct a feasibility assessment to determine whether screening 
processes and the screening experience may be improved for travelers by 
developing optional, dedicated screening lanes for families traveling 
with young children at airports where the checkpoint configuration 
would allow and where the overall functioning of the checkpoint would 
not be inhibited in terms of passenger throughput or security 
effectiveness.
    (e) Briefing to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the 
implementation of the training required under subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on 
progress regarding the implementation of this Act and improvements made 
to the screening process for pregnant women and families traveling with 
young children.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
        Transportation Security Administration.
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
            (3) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate.
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