IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1877 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2021 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To require the Transportation Security Administration to 

issue a plan to improve security screening procedures 

at airports during the COVID–19 national emergency, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

HR 1877 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Security Screening 

3 During COVID–19 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PLAN. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 

7 coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of the Depart8 ment of Homeland Security, and in consultation with the 

9 Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director 

10 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall 

11 issue and commence implementing a plan to enhance, as 

12 appropriate, security operations at airports during the 

13 COVID–19 national emergency in order to reduce risk of 

14 the spread of the coronavirus at passenger screening 

15 checkpoints and among the TSA workforce. 

16 (b) CONTENTS.—The plan required under subsection 

17 (a) shall include the following: 

18 (1) An identification of best practices developed 

19 in response to the coronavirus among foreign gov20 ernments, airports, and air carriers conducting avia21 tion security screening operations, as well as among 

22 Federal agencies conducting similar security screen23 ing operations outside of airports, including in loca24 tions where the spread of the coronavirus has been 

25 successfully contained, that could be further inteVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1877.RFS H1877

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

HR 1877 RFS

1 grated into the United States aviation security sys2 tem. 

3 (2) Specific operational changes to aviation se4 curity screening operations informed by the identi5 fication of best practices under paragraph (1) that 

6 could be implemented without degrading aviation se7 curity and a corresponding timeline and costs for 

8 implementing such changes. 

9 (c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the identi10 fication of best practices under subsection (b), the Admin11 istrator shall take into consideration the following: 

12 (1) Aviation security screening procedures and 

13 practices in place at security screening locations, in14 cluding procedures and practices implemented in re15 sponse to the coronavirus. 

16 (2) Volume and average wait times at each such 

17 security screening location. 

18 (3) Public health measures already in place at 

19 each such security screening location. 

20 (4) The feasibility and effectiveness of imple21 menting similar procedures and practices in loca22 tions where such are not already in place. 

23 (5) The feasibility and potential benefits to se24 curity, public health, and travel facilitation of con25 tinuing any procedures and practices implemented in 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

HR 1877 RFS

1 response to the COVID–19 national emergency be2 yond the end of such emergency. 

3 (d) CONSULTATION.—In developing the plan required 

4 under subsection (a), the Administrator may consult with 

5 public and private stakeholders and the TSA workforce, 

6 including through the labor organization certified as the 

7 exclusive representative of full- and part-time non-super8 visory TSA personnel carrying out screening functions 

9 under section 44901 of title 49, U.S. Code. 

10 (e) SUBMISSION.—Upon issuance of the plan re11 quired under subsection (a), the Administrator shall sub12 mit the plan to the Committee on Homeland Security of 

13 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com14 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

15 (f) ISSUANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION.—The Admin16 istrator shall not be required to issue or implement, as 

17 the case may be, the plan required under subsection (a) 

18 upon the termination of the COVID–19 national emer19 gency except to the extent the Administrator determines 

20 such issuance or implementation, as the case may be, to 

21 be feasible and beneficial to security screening operations. 

22 (g) GAO REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 

23 issuance of the plan required under subsection (a) (if such 

24 plan is issued in accordance with subsection (f)), the 

25 Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

HR 1877 RFS

1 the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 

2 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

3 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a review, if ap4 propriate, of such plan and any efforts to implement such 

5 plan. 

6 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis8 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Transpor9 tation Security Administration. 

10 (2) CORONAVIRUS.—The term ‘‘coronavirus’’ 

11 has the meaning given such term in section 506 of 

12 the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple13 mental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116– 

14 123). 

15 (3) COVID–19 NATIONAL EMERGENCY.—The 

16 term ‘‘COVID–19 national emergency’’ means the 

17 national emergency declared by the President under 

18 the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et 

19 seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to the 

20 coronavirus. 

21 (4) PUBLIC AND PRIVATE STAKEHOLDERS.— 

22 The term ‘‘public and private stakeholders’’ has the 

23 meaning given such term in section 114(t)(1)(C) of 

24 title 49, United States Code. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

HR 1877 RFS

1 (5) TSA.—The term ‘‘TSA’’ means the Trans2 portation Security Administration. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 20, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS