I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1877 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2021 
Mr. CLEAVER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Security Screening 
During COVID–19 Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 
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coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security, and in consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall 
issue and commence implementing a plan to enhance, as 
appropriate, security operations at airports during the 
COVID–19 national emergency in order to reduce risk of 
the spread of the coronavirus at passenger screening 
checkpoints and among the TSA workforce. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The plan required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
(1) An identification of best practices developed 
in response to the coronavirus among foreign gov-
ernments, airports, and air carriers conducting avia-
tion security screening operations, as well as among 
Federal agencies conducting similar security screen-
ing operations outside of airports, including in loca-
tions where the spread of the coronavirus has been 
successfully contained, that could be further inte-
grated into the United States aviation security sys-
tem. 
(2) Specific operational changes to aviation se-
curity screening operations informed by the identi-
fication of best practices under paragraph (1) that 
could be implemented without degrading aviation se-
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curity and a corresponding timeline and costs for 
implementing such changes. 
(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the identi-
fication of best practices under subsection (b), the Admin-
istrator shall take into consideration the following: 
(1) Aviation security screening procedures and 
practices in place at security screening locations, in-
cluding procedures and practices implemented in re-
sponse to the coronavirus. 
(2) Volume and average wait times at each such 
security screening location. 
(3) Public health measures already in place at 
each such security screening location. 
(4) The feasibility and effectiveness of imple-
menting similar procedures and practices in loca-
tions where such are not already in place. 
(5) The feasibility and potential benefits to se-
curity, public health, and travel facilitation of con-
tinuing any procedures and practices implemented in 
response to the COVID–19 national emergency be-
yond the end of such emergency. 
(d) CONSULTATION.—In developing the plan required 
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall consult with 
public and private stakeholders and the TSA workforce, 
including through the labor organization certified as the 
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exclusive representative of full- and part-time non-super-
visory TSA personnel carrying out screening functions 
under section 44901 of title 49, U.S. Code. 
(e) SUBMISSION.—Upon issuance of the plan re-
quired under subsection (a), the Administrator shall sub-
mit the plan to the Committee on Homeland Security of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
(f) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Administrator shall not 
be required to implement the plan required under sub-
section (a) upon the termination of the COVID–19 na-
tional emergency except to the extent the Administrator 
determines such implementation to be feasible and bene-
ficial to security screening operations. 
(g) GAO REVIEW.—Not later than one year after the 
commencement of implementation pursuant to subsection 
(e) of the plan required under subsection (a), the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit to the 
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a review of such imple-
mentation. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Transpor-
tation Security Administration. 
(2) CORONAVIRUS.—The term ‘‘coronavirus’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 506 of 
the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple-
mental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116– 
123). 
(3) COVID–19 NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.—The 
term ‘‘COVID–19 national emergency’’ means the 
national emergency declared by the President under 
the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et 
seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to the 
coronavirus. 
(4) PUBLIC
AND
PRIVATE
STAKEHOLDERS.— 
The term ‘‘public and private stakeholders’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 114(t)(1)(C) of 
title 49, United States Code. 
(5) TSA.—The term ‘‘TSA’’ means the Trans-
portation Security Administration. 
Æ 
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