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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3959 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.3959

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four

                                 An Act

 
To require the Transportation Security Administration to streamline the 
   enrollment processes for individuals applying for a Transportation 
Security Administration security threat assessment for certain programs, 
   including the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and 
   Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat Assessment programs of the 
                 Administration, 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 ``Transportation Security Screening 
Modernization Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act:
        (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
    Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
        (2) HAZMAT endorsement.--The term ``HAZMAT Endorsement'' means 
    the Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat Assessment program 
    authorized under section 5103a of title 49, United States Code.
        (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
    States, the District of Columbia, and the territories and 
    possessions of the United States.
        (4) TSA.--The term ``TSA'' means the Transportation Security 
    Administration.
        (5) TWIC.--The term ``TWIC'' means the Transportation Worker 
    Identification Credential authorized under section 70105 of title 
    46, United States Code.
SEC. 3. STREAMLINING OF APPLICATIONS FOR CERTAIN SECURITY THREAT 
ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION.
    (a) Streamlining.--
        (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
    enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall take such actions as 
    are necessary, including issuance of an interim final rule if 
    needed, to streamline the procedures for individuals applying for 
    or renewing enrollment in more than one TSA security threat 
    assessment program, in particular, the TWIC and HAZMAT Endorsement 
    programs, and any other credentialing programs as determined by the 
    Administrator, by--
            (A) permitting an individual to enroll at any TSA 
        authorized enrollment center once for a threat assessment 
        program endorsement and use the application, including 
        associated biometric and biographic data, as well as 
        information generated by TSA's vetting, for one of such 
        programs to enroll in any other of such programs;
            (B) permitting an individual to visit any TSA authorized 
        enrollment center and enroll in more than one TSA security 
        threat assessment program at the same time for a fee that is 
        less than the cumulative fee that would otherwise be incurred 
        for each such program separately;
            (C) permitting an individual to undergo a streamlined and 
        expeditious renewal process;
            (D) aligning the expiration of an individual's successful, 
        valid eligibility determination with the expiration of that 
        individual's eligibility to participate in subsequent TSA 
        security threat assessment programs to which the individual 
        applies;
            (E) providing to States the expiration dates for each 
        individual's TSA security threat assessment to ensure a 
        commercial driver's license of an individual who holds a HAZMAT 
        Endorsement does not indicate the individual is authorized to 
        transport hazardous materials after the expiration date of the 
        enrollment of the individual in the HAZMAT Endorsement security 
        threat assessment program if such commercial driver's license 
        has an expiration date that is different from the expiration 
        date of such enrollment; and
            (F) enrolling an individual in a subsequent TSA security 
        threat assessment program at the minimum cost necessary for the 
        TSA to cover printing, issuance, and case management costs, 
        costs associated with the collection of any additional 
        biometric and biographic data in accordance with paragraph (3), 
        and other costs that are not duplicative.
        (2) State requirements for streamlining.--Not later than 6 
    months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the States 
    shall carry out the responsibilities of the States pursuant to 
    section 5103a of title 49, United States Code.
        (3) Special rule.--If an individual under this subsection is at 
    different times applying for or renewing enrollment in more than 
    one TSA security threat assessment program, such individual may be 
    required to revisit a TSA authorized enrollment center for the 
    collection of additional data, such as biometrics, necessary for 
    any such program that were not so collected in connection with any 
    other such program.
    (b) Publication.--The Administrator shall post on a publicly 
available website of the TSA information relating to the streamlining 
of the enrollment processes for individuals applying for more than one 
TSA security threat assessment program described in subsection (a).
    (c) Expedited Rulemaking.--Notwithstanding sections 551 through 559 
of title 5, United States Code, nothing in this section shall require 
notice and comment rulemaking, and to the extent it is necessary to add 
additional requirements for which limited rulemaking may be advisable, 
the Administrator shall implement such requirements through publication 
of an interim final rule.
    (d) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief Congress on 
progress made toward the implementation of this section.
SEC. 4. ELIMINATING DUPLICATIVE COSTS.
    (a) Audit.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall audit 
the administration of the security threat assessment programs by the 
TSA and the States, including the TWIC and HAZMAT Endorsement programs.
    (b) Elements.--
        (1) TSA audit.--In conducting the audit of the TSA required by 
    subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall--
            (A) identify any redundancies and duplications in costs and 
        administration of security threat assessment programs that if 
        eliminated would not impact national security and any benefits 
        of eliminating such redundancies and duplications and improving 
        the experiences for individuals applying for or renewing 
        enrollment in more than one TSA security threat assessment 
        program;
            (B) review the impacts of the implementation by the TSA of 
        recommendations from previous studies conducted by the 
        Comptroller General, including GAO-07-756 and GAO-17-182, on 
        increasing the efficiency and effectiveness, and reducing 
        costs, of processing applications for enrollment and renewal in 
        TSA security threat assessment programs;
            (C) review the findings of the assessment required by 
        section 1(b) of the Act entitled ``An Act to require the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a comprehensive 
        security assessment of the transportation security card 
        program, and for other purposes'', approved December 16, 2016 
        (46 U.S.C. 70105 note; Public Law 114-278) and determine 
        whether the TSA has implemented any remedies to redundancies 
        and duplication identified by that assessment and whether such 
        implementation impacted national security;
            (D) determine whether there are unique challenges rural 
        applicants have with accessing TSA security threat assessment 
        programs;
            (E) assess the numbers and locations of enrollment centers 
        for meeting the needs of such programs, including determining 
        the access provided to rural applicants;
            (F) identify potential opportunities that exist to improve 
        the enrollment center operations of and customer experience 
        with such programs;
            (G) identify potential opportunities to harmonize the 
        enrollment, vetting, and renewal processes of such programs in 
        which similar information is collected for similar security 
        threat assessment processes for different vetted credentials 
        while not impacting national security;
            (H) identify other ways the TSA can reduce the costs of the 
        TSA security threat assessment programs while not impacting 
        national security; and
            (I) review the vetting, application, and enrollment 
        processes of each TSA security threat assessment program.
        (2) State audit.--In conducting the audit of the States 
    required by subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall review--
            (A) the administration of the HAZMAT Endorsement program by 
        the States;
            (B) methods by which the States could streamline the HAZMAT 
        Endorsement program; and
            (C) any potential barriers States face administering TSA 
        security threat assessment programs for individuals applying to 
        TWIC and the HAZMAT Endorsement program or individuals that 
        already have a TWIC credential.
    (c) Report and Recommendations.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the completion of the audit required by subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
Administrator, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate, and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
Representatives a report that includes--
        (1) a summary and analysis of the costs associated with the 
    operation and administration of each individual TSA security threat 
    assessment program;
        (2) a summary and analysis of the application and enrollment 
    costs associated with providing an individual multiple credentials 
    under TSA security threat assessment programs;
        (3) an identification of any potential duplicative processes 
    associated with an applicant applying for, or the vetting or 
    enrollment by the TSA of an individual in, a subsequent or multiple 
    TSA security threat assessment programs;
        (4) a breakdown of costs borne by applicants for current 
    enrollment and renewal processes of such programs;
        (5) ways to improve access to such programs, including for 
    rural applicants;
        (6) any potential recommendations to the TSA for reducing costs 
    and streamlining the administration and operation of each TSA 
    security threat assessment program while not impacting national 
    security;
        (7) any potential recommendations for the TSA to administer 
    such programs in a way that would improve national security; and
        (8) any potential recommendations for ways States can improve 
    their role in administering the HAZMAT Endorsement program and 
    streamline the application process or reduce costs for individuals 
    seeking multiple transportation security credentials.
    (d) Implementation.--
        (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
    receipt of the report required by subsection (c), the Administrator 
    shall--
            (A) implement the recommendations from such report;
            (B) provide to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland 
        Security of the House of Representatives a written notification 
        detailing--
                (i) the timeline for implementation of each 
            recommendation from the report;
                (ii) justifications for any implementation timeline 
            lasting longer than 2 years; and
                (iii) justifications for recommendations that the 
            Administrator has declined to pursue or implement.
        (2) Briefings.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
    receipt of the report required by subsection (c), and annually 
    thereafter until the date that the TSA has implemented each 
    recommendation made in such report, the Administrator shall brief 
    the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
    Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
    Representatives on the implementation of recommendations from the 
    report.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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