I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1893 

To direct the Transportation Security Administration to develop a transportation security preparedness plan in the event of a communicable disease 

outbreak, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2021 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. GIMENEZ, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, and Mr. KATKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security 

A BILL 

To direct the Transportation Security Administration to develop a transportation security preparedness plan in the 

event of a communicable disease outbreak, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transportation Secu5 rity Preparedness Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SURVEY OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AD2 MINISTRATION WORKFORCE REGARDING 

3 COVID–19 RESPONSE. 

4 (a) SURVEY.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

6 Transportation Security Administration (referred to in 

7 this section as the ‘‘Administrator’’), in consultation with 

8 the labor organization certified as the exclusive represent9 ative of full- and part-time non-supervisory Administra10 tion personnel carrying out screening functions under sec11 tion 44901 of title 49, United States Code, shall conduct 

12 a survey of the Transportation Security Administration 

13 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Administration’’) work14 force regarding the Administration’s response to the 

15 COVID–19 pandemic. Such survey shall be conducted in 

16 a manner that allows for the greatest practicable level of 

17 workforce participation. 

18 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the survey required 

19 under subsection (a), the Administrator shall solicit feed20 back on the following: 

21 (1) The Administration’s communication and 

22 collaboration with the Administration’s workforce re23 garding the Administration’s response to the 

24 COVID–19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate and 

25 monitor transmission of COVID–19 among its work26 force, including through— 


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1 (A) providing employees with personal pro2 tective equipment and mandating its use; 

3 (B) modifying screening procedures and 

4 Administration operations to reduce trans5 mission among officers and passengers and en6 suring compliance with such changes; 

7 (C) adjusting policies regarding scheduling, 

8 leave, and telework; 

9 (D) outreach as a part of contact tracing 

10 when an employee has tested positive for 

11 COVID–19; and 

12 (E) encouraging COVID–19 vaccinations 

13 and efforts to assist employees that seek to be 

14 vaccinated such as communicating the avail15 ability of duty time for travel to vaccination 

16 sites and recovery from vaccine side effects. 

17 (2) Any other topic determined appropriate by 

18 the Administrator. 

19 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after com20 pleting the survey required under subsection (a), the Ad21 ministration shall provide a report summarizing the re22 sults of the survey to the Committee on Homeland Secu23 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

24 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS 

2 PLAN. 

3 (a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Section 114 of title 49, 

4 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following new subsection: 

6 ‘‘(x) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS

7 PLAN.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

9 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

10 the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through 

11 the Administrator, in coordination with the Chief 

12 Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Se13 curity and in consultation with the partners identi14 fied under paragraphs (3)(A)(i) through (3)(A)(iv), 

15 shall develop a transportation security preparedness 

16 plan to address the event of a communicable disease 

17 outbreak. The Secretary, acting through the Admin18 istrator, shall ensure such plan aligns with relevant 

19 Federal plans and strategies for communicable dis20 ease outbreaks. 

21 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the plan 

22 required under paragraph (1), the Secretary, acting 

23 through the Administrator, shall consider each of 

24 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The findings of the survey required 

2 under section 2 of the Transportation Security 

3 Preparedness Act of 2021. 

4 ‘‘(B) All relevant reports and recommenda5 tions regarding the Administration’s response 

6 to the COVID–19 pandemic, including any re7 ports and recommendations issued by the 

8 Comptroller General and the Inspector General 

9 of the Department of Homeland Security. 

10 ‘‘(C) Lessons learned from Federal inter11 agency efforts during the COVID–19 pandemic. 

12 ‘‘(3) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The plan developed 

13 under paragraph (1) shall include each of the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(A) Plans for communicating and collabo16 rating in the event of a communicable disease 

17 outbreak with the following partners: 

18 ‘‘(i) Appropriate Federal departments 

19 and agencies, including the Department of 

20 Health and Human Services, the Centers 

21 for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

22 Department of Transportation, the De23 partment of Labor, and appropriate inter24 agency task forces. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The workforce of the Administra2 tion, including through the labor organiza3 tion certified as the exclusive representa4 tive of full- and part-time non-supervisory 

5 Administration personnel carrying out 

6 screening functions under section 44901 of 

7 this title. 

8 ‘‘(iii) International partners, including 

9 the International Civil Aviation Organiza10 tion and foreign governments, airports, 

11 and air carriers. 

12 ‘‘(iv) Public and private stakeholders, 

13 as such term is defined under subsection 

14 (t)(1)(C). 

15 ‘‘(v) The traveling public. 

16 ‘‘(B) Plans for protecting the safety of the 

17 Transportation Security Administration work18 force, including— 

19 ‘‘(i) reducing the risk of commu20 nicable disease transmission at screening 

21 checkpoints and within the Administra22 tion’s workforce related to the Administra23 tion’s transportation security operations 

24 and mission; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) ensuring the safety and hygiene 

2 of screening checkpoints and other 

3 workstations; 

4 ‘‘(iii) supporting equitable and appro5 priate access to relevant vaccines, prescrip6 tions, and other medical care; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) tracking rates of employee ill8 ness, recovery, and death. 

9 ‘‘(C) Criteria for determining the condi10 tions that may warrant the integration of addi11 tional actions in the aviation screening system 

12 in response to the communicable disease out13 break and a range of potential roles and re14 sponsibilities that align with such conditions. 

15 ‘‘(D) Contingency plans for temporarily 

16 adjusting checkpoint operations to provide for 

17 passenger and employee safety while maintain18 ing security during the communicable disease 

19 outbreak. 

20 ‘‘(E) Provisions setting forth criteria for 

21 establishing an interagency task force or other 

22 standing engagement platform with other ap23 propriate Federal departments and agencies, in24 cluding the Department of Health and Human 


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1 Services and the Department of Transportation, 

2 to address such communicable disease outbreak. 

3 ‘‘(F) A description of scenarios in which 

4 the Administrator should consider exercising 

5 authorities provided under subsection (g) and 

6 for what purposes. 

7 ‘‘(G) Considerations for assessing the ap8 propriateness of issuing security directives and 

9 emergency amendments to regulated parties in 

10 various modes of transportation, including sur11 face transportation, and plans for ensuring 

12 compliance with such measures. 

13 ‘‘(H) A description of any potential obsta14 cles, including funding constraints and limita15 tions to authorities, that could restrict the abil16 ity of the Administration to respond appro17 priately to a communicable disease outbreak. 

18 ‘‘(4) DISSEMINATION.—Upon development of 

19 the plan required under paragraph (1), the Adminis20 trator shall disseminate the plan to the partners 

21 identified under paragraph (3)(A) and to the Com22 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep23 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

24 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 


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1 ‘‘(5) REVIEW OF PLAN.—Not later than two 

2 years after the date on which the plan is dissemi3 nated under paragraph (4), and biennially there4 after, the Secretary, acting through the Adminis5 trator and in coordination with the Chief Medical 

6 Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, 

7 shall review the plan and, after consultation with the 

8 partners identified under paragraphs (3)(A)(i) 

9 through (3)(A)(iv), update the plan as appropriate.’’. 

10 (b) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.—Not later 

11 than one year after the date on which the transportation 

12 security preparedness plan required under subsection (x) 

13 of section 114 of title 49, United States Code, as added 

14 by subsection (a), is disseminated under paragraph (4) of 

15 such subsection (x), the Comptroller General of the United 

16 States shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu17 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

18 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

19 a report containing the results of a study assessing the 

20 transportation security preparedness plan, including an 

21 analysis of— 

22 (1) whether such plan aligns with relevant Fed23 eral plans and strategies for communicable disease 

24 outbreaks; and 


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1 (2) the extent to which the Transportation Se2 curity Administration is prepared to implement the 

3 plan. 

Æ 


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