IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1893 

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 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transportation Secu3 rity Preparedness Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SURVEY OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AD5 MINISTRATION WORKFORCE REGARDING 

6 COVID–19 RESPONSE. 

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

8 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

9 Transportation Security Administration (referred to in 

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

11 the labor organization certified as the exclusive represent12 ative of full- and part-time non-supervisory Administra13 tion personnel carrying out screening functions under sec14 tion 44901 of title 49, United States Code, shall conduct 

15 a survey of the Transportation Security Administration 

16 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Administration’’) work17 force regarding the Administration’s response to the 

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

19 a manner that allows for the greatest practicable level of 

20 workforce participation. 

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

22 under subsection (a), the Administrator shall solicit feed23 back on the following: 

24 (1) The Administration’s communication and 

25 collaboration with the Administration’s workforce re26 garding the Administration’s response to the 


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1 COVID–19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate and 

2 monitor transmission of COVID–19 among its work3 force, including through— 

4 (A) providing employees with personal pro5 tective equipment and mandating its use; 

6 (B) modifying screening procedures and 

7 Administration operations to reduce trans8 mission among officers and passengers and en9 suring compliance with such changes; 

10 (C) adjusting policies regarding scheduling, 

11 leave, and telework; 

12 (D) outreach as a part of contact tracing 

13 when an employee has tested positive for 

14 COVID–19; and 

15 (E) encouraging COVID–19 vaccinations 

16 and efforts to assist employees that seek to be 

17 vaccinated such as communicating the avail18 ability of duty time for travel to vaccination 

19 sites and recovery from vaccine side effects. 

20 (2) Any other topic determined appropriate by 

21 the Administrator. 

22 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after com23 pleting the survey required under subsection (a), the Ad24 ministration shall provide a report summarizing the re25 sults of the survey to the Committee on Homeland SecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1893.RFS H1893

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1 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

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

3 SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS 

4 PLAN. 

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

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

7 following new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(x) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS

9 PLAN.— 

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

11 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

12 the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through 

13 the Administrator, in coordination with the Chief 

14 Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Se15 curity and in consultation with the partners identi16 fied under paragraphs (3)(A)(i) through (3)(A)(iv), 

17 shall develop a transportation security preparedness 

18 plan to address the event of a communicable disease 

19 outbreak. The Secretary, acting through the Admin20 istrator, shall ensure such plan aligns with relevant 

21 Federal plans and strategies for communicable dis22 ease outbreaks. 

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

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


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1 through the Administrator, shall consider each of 

2 the following: 

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

4 under section 2 of the Transportation Security 

5 Preparedness Act of 2021. 

6 ‘‘(B) All relevant reports and recommenda7 tions regarding the Administration’s response 

8 to the COVID–19 pandemic, including any re9 ports and recommendations issued by the 

10 Comptroller General and the Inspector General 

11 of the Department of Homeland Security. 

12 ‘‘(C) Lessons learned from Federal inter13 agency efforts during the COVID–19 pandemic. 

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

15 under paragraph (1) shall include each of the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) Plans for communicating and collabo18 rating in the event of a communicable disease 

19 outbreak with the following partners: 

20 ‘‘(i) Appropriate Federal departments 

21 and agencies, including the Department of 

22 Health and Human Services, the Centers 

23 for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

24 Department of Transportation, the DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1893.RFS H1893

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1 partment of Labor, and appropriate inter2 agency task forces. 

3 ‘‘(ii) The workforce of the Administra4 tion, including through the labor organiza5 tion certified as the exclusive representa6 tive of full- and part-time non-supervisory 

7 Administration personnel carrying out 

8 screening functions under section 44901 of 

9 this title. 

10 ‘‘(iii) International partners, including 

11 the International Civil Aviation Organiza12 tion and foreign governments, airports, 

13 and air carriers. 

14 ‘‘(iv) Public and private stakeholders, 

15 as such term is defined under subsection 

16 (t)(1)(C). 

17 ‘‘(v) The traveling public. 

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

19 Transportation Security Administration work20 force, including— 

21 ‘‘(i) reducing the risk of commu22 nicable disease transmission at screening 

23 checkpoints and within the Administra24 tion’s workforce related to the AdministraVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1893.RFS H1893

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1 tion’s transportation security operations 

2 and mission; 

3 ‘‘(ii) ensuring the safety and hygiene 

4 of screening checkpoints and other 

5 workstations; 

6 ‘‘(iii) supporting equitable and appro7 priate access to relevant vaccines, prescrip8 tions, and other medical care; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) tracking rates of employee ill10 ness, recovery, and death. 

11 ‘‘(C) Criteria for determining the condi12 tions that may warrant the integration of addi13 tional actions in the aviation screening system 

14 in response to the communicable disease out15 break and a range of potential roles and re16 sponsibilities that align with such conditions. 

17 ‘‘(D) Contingency plans for temporarily 

18 adjusting checkpoint operations to provide for 

19 passenger and employee safety while maintain20 ing security during the communicable disease 

21 outbreak. 

22 ‘‘(E) Provisions setting forth criteria for 

23 establishing an interagency task force or other 

24 standing engagement platform with other ap25 propriate Federal departments and agencies, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1893.RFS H1893

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1 cluding the Department of Health and Human 

2 Services and the Department of Transportation, 

3 to address such communicable disease outbreak. 

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

5 the Administrator should consider exercising 

6 authorities provided under subsection (g) and 

7 for what purposes. 

8 ‘‘(G) Considerations for assessing the ap9 propriateness of issuing security directives and 

10 emergency amendments to regulated parties in 

11 various modes of transportation, including sur12 face transportation, and plans for ensuring 

13 compliance with such measures. 

14 ‘‘(H) A description of any potential obsta15 cles, including funding constraints and limita16 tions to authorities, that could restrict the abil17 ity of the Administration to respond appro18 priately to a communicable disease outbreak. 

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

20 the plan required under paragraph (1), the Adminis21 trator shall disseminate the plan to the partners 

22 identified under paragraph (3)(A) and to the Com23 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep24 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

25 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 1 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. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 20, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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