IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 876 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
APRIL 26, 2017 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To reform programs of the Transportation Security 
Administration, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Aviation Employee 
Screening and Security Enhancement Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra-
tion’’ means the Transportation Security Adminis-
tration. 
(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Transpor-
tation Security Administration. 
(3) AIR CARRIER.—The term ‘‘air carrier’’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 40102 of 
title 49, United States Code. 
(4) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate. 
(5) FOREIGN AIR CARRIER.—The term ‘‘foreign 
air carrier’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 40102 of title 49, United States Code. 
(6) INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘‘intelligence community’’ has the meaning given 
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such term in section 3(4) of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). 
(7) SECURED AREA.—The term ‘‘secured area’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 1540.5 
of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(8) 
SECURITY
IDENTIFICATION
DISPLAY 
AREA.—The term ‘‘Security Identification Display 
Area’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
1540.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(9) STERILE AREA.—The term ‘‘sterile area’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 1540.5 
of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. 
SEC. 3. COST AND FEASIBILITY STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 
consultation with the Aviation Security Advisory Com-
mittee (established under section 44946 of title 49, United 
States Code), shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees and the Comptroller General of the 
United States a cost and feasibility study of a statistically 
significant number of Category I, II, III, IV, and X air-
ports assessing the impact if all employee access points 
from non-secured areas to secured areas of such airports 
are comprised of the following: 
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(1) A secure door utilizing card and pin entry 
or biometric technology. 
(2) Surveillance video recording, capable of 
storing video data for at least 30 days. 
(3) Advanced screening technologies, including 
at least one of the following: 
(A) Magnetometer (walk-through or hand- 
held). 
(B) Explosives detection canines. 
(C) Explosives trace detection swabbing. 
(D) Advanced imaging technology. 
(E) X-ray bag screening technology. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The study required under sub-
section (a) shall include information related to the em-
ployee screening costs of those category I, II, III, IV, and 
X airports which have already implemented practices of 
screening 100 percent of employees accessing secured 
areas of airports, including the following: 
(1) Costs associated with establishing an oper-
ational minimum number of employee entry and exit 
points. 
(2) A comparison of estimated costs and effec-
tiveness associated with implementing the security 
features specified in subsection (a) to— 
(A) the Federal Government; and 
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(B) airports and the aviation community. 
(c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Upon completion of the 
study required under subsection (a), the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall review such study 
to assess the quality and reliability of such study. 
(2) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 60 days 
after the receipt of the study required under sub-
section (a), the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall report to the Committee on Homeland 
Security of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate on the results of 
the review required under paragraph (1). 
SEC. 4. AIRPORT WORKER EDUCATION AND SECURITY 
AWARENESS. 
(a) COOPERATIVE EFFORTS TO ENHANCE AIRPORT 
SECURITY AWARENESS.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall work with air carriers, foreign air carriers, airport 
operators, labor unions representing credentialed employ-
ees, and the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to en-
hance security awareness of credentialed airport popu-
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lations regarding insider threats to aviation security and 
best practices related to airport access controls. 
(b) CREDENTIALING STANDARDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator shall, in consultation with air carriers, 
foreign air carriers, airport operators, labor unions 
representing credentialed employees, and the Avia-
tion 
Security 
Advisory 
Committee, 
assess 
credentialing standards, policies, and practices to en-
sure that insider threats to aviation security are ade-
quately addressed. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after 
completion of the assessment required under para-
graph (1), the Administrator shall report to the ap-
propriate congressional committees on the results of 
such assessment. 
(c) SIDA APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS REQUIRED.— 
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall require air-
port operators to submit the social security number 
of an individual applying for a credential granting 
access to the Security Identification Display Area to 
strengthen security vetting effectiveness. An appli-
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cant who does not provide such applicant’s social se-
curity number may be denied such a credential. 
(2) SCREENING
NOTICE.—The Administrator 
shall issue requirements for airport operators to in-
clude in applications for access to a Security Identi-
fication Display Area a notice informing applicants 
that an employee holding a credential granting ac-
cess to a Security Identification Display Area may 
be screened at any time while gaining access to, 
working in, or leaving a Security Identification Dis-
play Area. 
SEC. 5. SECURING AIRPORT WORKER ACCESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall work 
with airport operators and the Aviation Security Advisory 
Committee to identify advanced technologies, including bi-
ometric identification technologies, for securing employee 
access to the secured areas and sterile areas of airports. 
(b) RAP BACK VETTING.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator shall ensure that all credentialed aviation worker 
populations currently requiring a fingerprint-based crimi-
nal record history check are continuously vetted through 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Rap Back Service, 
in order to more rapidly detect and mitigate insider 
threats to aviation security. 
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(c) INSIDER THREAT EDUCATION
AND MITIGA-
TION.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator shall identify 
means of enhancing the Administration’s ability to lever-
age the resources of the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity and the intelligence community to educate Adminis-
tration personnel on insider threats to aviation security 
and how the Administration can better mitigate such in-
sider threats. 
(d) PLAYBOOK OPERATIONS.—The Administrator 
shall ensure that Administration-led employee physical in-
spection efforts of aviation workers, known as Playbook 
operations, are targeted, strategic, and focused on pro-
viding the greatest level of security effectiveness. 
(e) COVERT TESTING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con-
duct covert testing of Administration-led employee 
inspection operations at airports and measure exist-
ing levels of security effectiveness. The Adminis-
trator shall provide— 
(A) the results of such testing to the air-
port operator for the airport that is the subject 
of any such testing, and, as appropriate, to air 
carriers and foreign air carriers that operate at 
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the airport that is the subject of such testing; 
and 
(B) recommendations and technical assist-
ance for air carriers, foreign air carriers, and 
airport operators to conduct their own employee 
inspections, as needed. 
(2) ANNUAL
REPORTING.—The Administrator 
shall annually, for each of fiscal years 2018 through 
2022, submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report on the frequency, methodology, 
strategy, and effectiveness of employee inspection 
operations at airports. 
(f) CENTRALIZED DATABASE.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the Aviation Security Ad-
visory Committee, shall— 
(1) establish a national database of individuals 
who have had either their airport or airport oper-
ator-issued badge revoked for failure to comply with 
aviation security requirements; 
(2) determine the appropriate reporting mecha-
nisms for air carriers, foreign air carriers, and air-
port operators to— 
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(A) submit to the Administration data re-
garding individuals described in paragraph (1); 
and 
(B) access the database established pursu-
ant to such paragraph; and 
(3) establish a process to allow individuals 
whose names were mistakenly entered into such 
database to correct the record and have their names 
removed from such database. 
SEC. 6. INSIDER THREAT COORDINATION EFFORTS. 
The Department of Homeland Security is the lead 
interagency coordinator pertaining to insider threat inves-
tigations and mitigation efforts at airports. The Depart-
ment shall make every practicable effort to coordinate with 
other relevant Government entities, as well as the security 
representatives of air carriers, foreign air carriers, and 
airport operators, as appropriate, when undertaking such 
investigations and efforts. 
SEC. 7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a plan to conduct 
recurring reviews of the operational, technical, and man-
agement security controls for Administration information 
technology systems at airports. 
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SEC. 8. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be car-
ried out using amounts otherwise authorized. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 25, 2017. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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