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Union Calendar No. 12 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1893 

[Report No. 117–25] 

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 

APRIL 30, 2021 

Additional sponsors: Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. CASE, and Mrs. LURIA

APRIL 30, 2021 

Reported from the Committee on Homeland Security; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 

printed 


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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. 


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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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SURVEY OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AD7 MINISTRATION WORKFORCE REGARDING 

8 COVID–19 RESPONSE. 

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

10 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

11 Transportation Security Administration (referred to in 

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

13 the labor organization certified as the exclusive represent14 ative of full- and part-time non-supervisory Administra15 tion personnel carrying out screening functions under sec16 tion 44901 of title 49, United States Code, shall conduct 

17 a survey of the Transportation Security Administration 

18 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Administration’’) work19 force regarding the Administration’s response to the 

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

21 a manner that allows for the greatest practicable level of 

22 workforce participation. 

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

24 under subsection (a), the Administrator shall solicit feed25 back on the following: 


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1 (1) The Administration’s communication and 

2 collaboration with the Administration’s workforce re3 garding the Administration’s response to the 

4 COVID–19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate and 

5 monitor transmission of COVID–19 among its work6 force, including through— 

7 (A) providing employees with personal pro8 tective equipment and mandating its use; 

9 (B) modifying screening procedures and 

10 Administration operations to reduce trans11 mission among officers and passengers and en12 suring compliance with such changes; 

13 (C) adjusting policies regarding scheduling, 

14 leave, and telework; 

15 (D) outreach as a part of contact tracing 

16 when an employee has tested positive for 

17 COVID–19; and 

18 (E) encouraging COVID–19 vaccinations 

19 and efforts to assist employees that seek to be 

20 vaccinated such as communicating the avail21 ability of duty time for travel to vaccination 

22 sites and recovery from vaccine side effects. 

23 (2) Any other topic determined appropriate by 

24 the Administrator. 


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1 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after com2 pleting the survey required under subsection (a), the Ad3 ministration shall provide a report summarizing the re4 sults of the survey to the Committee on Homeland Secu5 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

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

7 SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS 

8 PLAN. 

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

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

11 following new subsection: 

12 ‘‘(x) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS

13 PLAN.— 

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

15 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

16 the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through 

17 the Administrator, in coordination with the Chief 

18 Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Se19 curity and in consultation with the partners identi20 fied under paragraphs (3)(A)(i) through (3)(A)(iv), 

21 shall develop a transportation security preparedness 

22 plan to address the event of a communicable disease 

23 outbreak. The Secretary, acting through the Admin24 istrator, shall ensure such plan aligns with relevant 


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1 Federal plans and strategies for communicable dis2 ease outbreaks. 

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

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

5 through the Administrator, shall consider each of 

6 the following: 

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

8 under section 2 of the Transportation Security 

9 Preparedness Act of 2021. 

10 ‘‘(B) All relevant reports and recommenda11 tions regarding the Administration’s response 

12 to the COVID–19 pandemic, including any re13 ports and recommendations issued by the 

14 Comptroller General and the Inspector General 

15 of the Department of Homeland Security. 

16 ‘‘(C) Lessons learned from Federal inter17 agency efforts during the COVID–19 pandemic. 

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

19 under paragraph (1) shall include each of the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(A) Plans for communicating and collabo22 rating in the event of a communicable disease 

23 outbreak with the following partners: 

24 ‘‘(i) Appropriate Federal departments 

25 and agencies, including the Department of 


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1 Health and Human Services, the Centers 

2 for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

3 Department of Transportation, the De4 partment of Labor, and appropriate inter5 agency task forces. 

6 ‘‘(ii) The workforce of the Administra7 tion, including through the labor organiza8 tion certified as the exclusive representa9 tive of full- and part-time non-supervisory 

10 Administration personnel carrying out 

11 screening functions under section 44901 of 

12 this title. 

13 ‘‘(iii) International partners, including 

14 the International Civil Aviation Organiza15 tion and foreign governments, airports, 

16 and air carriers. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Public and private stakeholders, 

18 as such term is defined under subsection 

19 (t)(1)(C). 

20 ‘‘(v) The traveling public. 

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

22 Transportation Security Administration work23 force, including— 

24 ‘‘(i) reducing the risk of commu25 nicable disease transmission at screening 


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1 checkpoints and within the Administra2 tion’s workforce related to the Administra3 tion’s transportation security operations 

4 and mission; 

5 ‘‘(ii) ensuring the safety and hygiene 

6 of screening checkpoints and other 

7 workstations; 

8 ‘‘(iii) supporting equitable and appro9 priate access to relevant vaccines, prescrip10 tions, and other medical care; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) tracking rates of employee ill12 ness, recovery, and death. 

13 ‘‘(C) Criteria for determining the condi14 tions that may warrant the integration of addi15 tional actions in the aviation screening system 

16 in response to the communicable disease out17 break and a range of potential roles and re18 sponsibilities that align with such conditions. 

19 ‘‘(D) Contingency plans for temporarily 

20 adjusting checkpoint operations to provide for 

21 passenger and employee safety while maintain22 ing security during the communicable disease 

23 outbreak. 

24 ‘‘(E) Provisions setting forth criteria for 

25 establishing an interagency task force or other 


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1 standing engagement platform with other ap2 propriate Federal departments and agencies, in3 cluding the Department of Health and Human 

4 Services and the Department of Transportation, 

5 to address such communicable disease outbreak. 

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

7 the Administrator should consider exercising 

8 authorities provided under subsection (g) and 

9 for what purposes. 

10 ‘‘(G) Considerations for assessing the ap11 propriateness of issuing security directives and 

12 emergency amendments to regulated parties in 

13 various modes of transportation, including sur14 face transportation, and plans for ensuring 

15 compliance with such measures. 

16 ‘‘(H) A description of any potential obsta17 cles, including funding constraints and limita18 tions to authorities, that could restrict the abil19 ity of the Administration to respond appro20 priately to a communicable disease outbreak. 

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

22 the plan required under paragraph (1), the Adminis23 trator shall disseminate the plan to the partners 

24 identified under paragraph (3)(A) and to the Com25 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of RepVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1893.RH H1893

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1 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

2 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

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

4 years after the date on which the plan is dissemi5 nated under paragraph (4), and biennially there6 after, the Secretary, acting through the Adminis7 trator and in coordination with the Chief Medical 

8 Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, 

9 shall review the plan and, after consultation with the 

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

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

12 (b) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.—Not later 

13 than one year after the date on which the transportation 

14 security preparedness plan required under subsection (x) 

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

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

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

18 States shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu19 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

20 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

21 a report containing the results of a study assessing the 

22 transportation security preparedness plan, including an 

23 analysis of— 


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1 (1) whether such plan aligns with relevant Fed2 eral plans and strategies for communicable disease 

3 outbreaks; and 

4 (2) the extent to which the Transportation Se5 curity Administration is prepared to implement the 

6 plan. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 12 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1893 

[Report No. 117–25] 

A BILL 

To direct the Transportation Security Administradisease outbreak, and for other purposes. paredness plan in the event of a communicable tion to develop a transportation security preAPRIL 30, 2021 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS