Aviation Employee Screening and Security Enhancement Act of 2017

Summary: Aviation Employee Screening and Security Enhancement Act of 2017 (Sec. 3) This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct, and submit to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a cost and feasibility study of a statistically significant number of Category I, II, III, IV, and X airports assessing the impact if all airport employee access points from non-secured to secured airport areas are comprised of the following:  a secure door utilizing card and pin entry or biometric technology; surveillance video recording capable of storing video data for at least 30 days; certain advanced screening technologies, including magnetometers, explosives detection canines, explosives trace detection swabbing, advanced imaging technology, and X-ray bag screening technology; and information related to employee screening costs of such airports that have already implemented practices of screening 100% of employees accessing secured areas.  The GAO shall assess the completed study and report the results to Congress. (Sec. 4) The TSA shall:  work with air carriers, foreign air carriers, airport operators, labor unions representing credentialed airport employees, and the TSA's Aviation Security Advisory Committee to enhance security awareness of credentialed airport workers regarding insider threats to aviation security and best practices related to airport access controls; assess credentialing standards, policies, and practices to ensure that insider threats to aviation security are adequately addressed;  require airport operators to submit the social security number of an individual applying for a credential granting access to the Security Identification Display Area of an airport to strengthen security vetting effectiveness; and issue requirements for airport operators to include in applications for access to such area a notice that an employee holding a credential granting such access may be screened at any time while entering, working in, or leaving the area.  (Sec. 5) The TSA shall also:  work with airport operators and the TSA Advisory Committee to identify advanced technologies for securing employee access to secured and sterile airport areas; ensure that credentialed aviation worker populations currently requiring a fingerprint-based criminal record history check are continuously vetted through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Rap Back Service to mitigate insider threats; identify ways to enhance TSA's ability to educate its personnel on insider threats to aviation security and on how to mitigate such threats; ensure that TSA employee physical inspection efforts of aviation workers (Playbook operations) are focused on providing the greatest level of security effectiveness; conduct covert testing of TSA employee screening operations at airports;  report on the frequency, methodology, strategy, and effectiveness of employee inspection operations at airports; and establish a national database of individuals who have had either their airport or aircraft operator-issued badge revoked for failure to comply with aviation security requirements, as well a process to allow individuals whose names were mistakenly entered into such database to correct the record and have their names removed from it.  (Sec. 6) The DHS is the lead interagency coordinator to insider threat investigations and mitigation efforts at airports. (Sec. 7) The TSA shall submit a plan to conduct recurring reviews of the operational security controls for TSA information technology systems at airports.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Aviation Employee Screening and 
Security Enhancement Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
        Transportation Security Administration.
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
            (3) Air carrier.--The term ``air carrier'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 40102 of title 49, United States 
        Code.
            (4) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate.
            (5) Foreign air carrier.--The term ``foreign air carrier'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 40102 of title 49, 
        United States Code.
            (6) Intelligence community.--The term ``intelligence 
        community'' has the meaning given such term in section 3(4) of 
        the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
            (7) Secured area.--The term ``secured area'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 1540.5 of title 49, Code of 
        Federal Regulations.
            (8) Security identification display area.--The term 
        ``Security Identification Display Area'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1540.5 of title 49, Code of Federal 
        Regulations.
            (9) Sterile area.--The term ``sterile area'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 1540.5 of title 49, Code of 
        Federal Regulations.

SEC. 3. COST AND FEASIBILITY STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the 
Aviation Security Advisory Committee (established under section 44946 
of title 49, United States Code), shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees and the Comptroller General of the United 
States a cost and feasibility study of a statistically significant 
number of Category I, II, III, IV, and X airports assessing the impact 
if all employee access points from non-secured areas to secured areas 
of such airports are comprised of the following:
            (1) A secure door utilizing card and pin entry or biometric 
        technology.
            (2) Surveillance video recording, capable of storing video 
        data for at least 30 days.
            (3) Advanced screening technologies, including at least one 
        of the following:
                    (A) Magnetometer (walk-through or hand-held).
                    (B) Explosives detection canines.
                    (C) Explosives trace detection swabbing.
                    (D) Advanced imaging technology.
                    (E) X-ray bag screening technology.
    (b) Contents.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
include information related to the employee screening costs of those 
category I, II, III, IV, and X airports which have already implemented 
practices of screening 100 percent of employees accessing secured areas 
of airports, including the following:
            (1) Costs associated with establishing an operational 
        minimum number of employee entry and exit points.
            (2) A comparison of estimated costs and effectiveness 
        associated with implementing the security features specified in 
        subsection (a) to--
                    (A) the Federal Government; and
                    (B) airports and the aviation community.
    (c) Comptroller General Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--Upon completion of the study required 
        under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall review such study to assess the quality and 
        reliability of such study.
            (2) Assessment.--Not later than 60 days after the receipt 
        of the study required under subsection (a), the Comptroller 
        General of the United States shall report to the Committee on 
        Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate on the results of the review required under paragraph 
        (1).

SEC. 4. AIRPORT WORKER EDUCATION AND SECURITY AWARENESS.

    (a) Cooperative Efforts to Enhance Airport Security Awareness.--Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator shall work with air carriers, foreign air carriers, 
airport operators, labor unions representing credentialed employees, 
and the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to enhance security 
awareness of credentialed airport populations regarding insider threats 
to aviation security and best practices related to airport access 
controls.
    (b) Credentialing Standards.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall, in 
        consultation with air carriers, foreign air carriers, airport 
        operators, labor unions representing credentialed employees, 
        and the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, assess 
        credentialing standards, policies, and practices to ensure that 
        insider threats to aviation security are adequately addressed.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 30 days after completion of the 
        assessment required under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
        shall report to the appropriate congressional committees on the 
        results of such assessment.
    (c) SIDA Applications.--
            (1) Social security numbers required.--Not later than 60 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
        Administrator shall require airport operators to submit the 
        social security number of an individual applying for a 
        credential granting access to the Security Identification 
        Display Area to strengthen security vetting effectiveness. An 
        applicant who does not provide such applicant's social security 
        number may be denied such a credential.
            (2) Screening notice.--The Administrator shall issue 
        requirements for airport operators to include in applications 
        for access to a Security Identification Display Area a notice 
        informing applicants that an employee holding a credential 
        granting access to a Security Identification Display Area may 
        be screened at any time while gaining access to, working in, or 
        leaving a Security Identification Display Area.

SEC. 5. SECURING AIRPORT WORKER ACCESS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall work with airport 
operators and the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to identify 
advanced technologies, including biometric identification technologies, 
for securing employee access to the secured areas and sterile areas of 
airports.
    (b) Rap Back Vetting.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall ensure that all 
credentialed aviation worker populations currently requiring a 
fingerprint-based criminal record history check are continuously vetted 
through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Rap Back Service, in 
order to more rapidly detect and mitigate insider threats to aviation 
security.
    (c) Insider Threat Education and Mitigation.--Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall identify means of enhancing the Administration's ability to 
leverage the resources of the Department of Homeland Security and the 
intelligence community to educate Administration personnel on insider 
threats to aviation security and how the Administration can better 
mitigate such insider threats.
    (d) Playbook Operations.--The Administrator shall ensure that 
Administration-led employee physical inspection efforts of aviation 
workers, known as Playbook operations, are targeted, strategic, and 
focused on providing the greatest level of security effectiveness.
    (e) Covert Testing.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall conduct covert 
        testing of Administration-led employee inspection operations at 
        airports and measure existing levels of security effectiveness. 
        The Administrator shall provide--
                    (A) the results of such testing to the airport 
                operator for the airport that is the subject of any 
                such testing, and, as appropriate, to air carriers and 
                foreign air carriers that operate at the airport that 
                is the subject of such testing; and
                    (B) recommendations and technical assistance for 
                air carriers, foreign air carriers, and airport 
                operators to conduct their own employee inspections, as 
                needed.
            (2) Annual reporting.--The Administrator shall annually, 
        for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022, submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report on the frequency, 
        methodology, strategy, and effectiveness of employee inspection 
        operations at airports.
    (f) Centralized Database.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with 
the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, shall--
            (1) establish a national database of individuals who have 
        had either their airport or airport operator-issued badge 
        revoked for failure to comply with aviation security 
        requirements;
            (2) determine the appropriate reporting mechanisms for air 
        carriers, foreign air carriers, and airport operators to--
                    (A) submit to the Administration data regarding 
                individuals described in paragraph (1); and
                    (B) access the database established pursuant to 
                such paragraph; and
            (3) establish a process to allow individuals whose names 
        were mistakenly entered into such database to correct the 
        record and have their names removed from such database.

SEC. 6. INSIDER THREAT COORDINATION EFFORTS.

    The Department of Homeland Security is the lead interagency 
coordinator pertaining to insider threat investigations and mitigation 
efforts at airports. The Department shall make every practicable effort 
to coordinate with other relevant Government entities, as well as the 
security representatives of air carriers, foreign air carriers, and 
airport operators, as appropriate, when undertaking such investigations 
and efforts.

SEC. 7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a plan to conduct recurring reviews of the operational, 
technical, and management security controls for Administration 
information technology systems at airports.

SEC. 8. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

    No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of 
this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts 
otherwise authorized.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 25, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.