SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Transportation Security Administration Reform and Im-
provement Act of 2015’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; Table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—AVIATION SECURITY 
Sec. 101. TSA PreCheck. 
Sec. 102. PreCheck and general passenger biometric identification. 
Sec. 103. Limitation; PreCheck operations maintained; Alternate methods. 
Sec. 104. Secure Flight program. 
Sec. 105. Efficiency review by TSA. 
Sec. 106. Donation of screening equipment to protect the United States. 
Sec. 107. Review of sustained security directives. 
Sec. 108. Maintenance of security-related technology. 
Sec. 109. Vetting of aviation workers. 
Sec. 110. Aviation Security Advisory Committee consultation. 
Sec. 111. Private contractor canine evaluation and integration pilot program. 
Sec. 112. Covert testing at airports. 
Sec. 113. Training for transportation security officers. 
TITLE II—SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AND OTHER 
MATTERS 
Sec. 201. Surface Transportation Inspectors. 
Sec. 202. Inspector General audit; TSA Office of Inspection workforce certifi-
cation. 
Sec. 203. Repeal of biennial reporting requirement for the Government Ac-
countability Office relating to the Transportation Security In-
formation Sharing Plan. 
Sec. 204. Security training for frontline transportation workers. 
Sec. 205. Feasibility assessment. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATION; TSA.—The terms ‘‘Ad-
ministration’’ and ‘‘TSA’’ mean the Transportation 
Security Administration.
(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Transpor-
tation Security Administration. 
(3) INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘‘intelligence community’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 3(4) of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). 
(4) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Homeland Security. 
(5) 
SECURE
FLIGHT.—The 
term 
‘‘Secure 
Flight’’ means the Administration’s watchlist match-
ing program. 
TITLE I—AVIATION SECURITY 
SEC. 101. TSA PRECHECK. 
(a) TSA PRECHECK.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall— 
(1) ensure that all screening of passengers and 
their accessible property shall be conducted in a 
risk-based, intelligence-driven manner with consider-
ation given to the privacy and civil liberties of such 
passengers; and 
(2) operate a trusted passenger screening pro-
gram known as ‘‘TSA PreCheck’’ that provides ex-
pedited screening for low-risk passengers and their
accessible property based on a comprehensive and 
continuous analysis of factors specified in subsection 
(b). 
(b) FACTORS.—Factors referred to in subsection 
(a)(2) shall include the following: 
(1) Whether passengers described in such sub-
section are members of other trusted traveler pro-
grams of the Department. 
(2) Whether such passengers are traveling pur-
suant to subsection (m) of section 44903 of title 49, 
United States Code (as established under the Risk- 
Based Security for Members of the Armed Forces 
Act (Public Law 112–86)), section 44927 of such 
title (as established under the Helping Heroes Fly 
Act (Public Law 113–27)), or section 44928 of such 
title (as established under the Honor Flight Act 
(Public Law 113–221)). 
(3) Whether such passengers possess an active 
security clearance or other credential issued by the 
Federal Government for which TSA has conducted 
a written threat assessment and determined that 
such passengers present a low risk to transportation 
or national security. 
(4) Whether such passengers are members of a 
population for whom TSA has conducted a written
security threat assessment, determined that such 
population poses a low risk to transportation or na-
tional security, and has issued such passengers a 
known traveler number. 
(5) The ability of the Administration to verify 
such passengers’ identity and whether such pas-
sengers pose a risk to aviation security. 
(6) Threats to transportation or national secu-
rity as identified by the intelligence community and 
law enforcement community. 
(c) ENROLLMENT EXPANSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator shall publish PreCheck application enrollment 
standards to add multiple private sector application 
capabilities for the TSA PreCheck program to in-
crease the public’s enrollment access to such pro-
gram, including standards that allow the use of se-
cure technologies, including online enrollment, ki-
osks, tablets, or staffed computer stations at which 
individuals can apply for entry into such program. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Upon publication of the 
PreCheck program application enrollment standards 
pursuant to paragraph (1), the Administrator 
shall—
(A) coordinate with interested parties to 
deploy TSA-approved ready-to-market private 
sector solutions that meet the TSA PreCheck 
application enrollment standards described in 
paragraph 
(1), 
make 
available 
additional 
PreCheck enrollment capabilities, and offer se-
cure online and mobile enrollment opportuni-
ties; 
(B) partner with the private sector to col-
lect biographic and biometric identification in-
formation via kiosks, mobile devices, or other 
mobile enrollment platforms to reduce the num-
ber of instances in which passengers need to 
travel to enrollment centers; 
(C) ensure that the kiosks, mobile devices, 
or other mobile enrollment platforms referred to 
in subparagraph (E) are secure and not vulner-
able to data breaches; 
(D) ensure that any biometric and bio-
graphic information is collected in a manner 
which is comparable with the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology standards and en-
sures privacy and data security protections, in-
cluding that applicants’ personally identifiable 
information is collected, retained, used, and
shared in a manner consistent with section 
552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
known as the ‘‘Privacy Act of 1974’’), and 
agency regulations; 
(E) ensure that an individual who wants to 
enroll in the PreCheck program and has started 
an application with a single identification 
verification at one location will be able to save 
such individual’s application on any kiosk, per-
sonal computer, mobile device, or other mobile 
enrollment platform and be able to return with-
in a reasonable time to submit a second identi-
fication verification; and 
(F) ensure that any enrollment expansion 
using a private sector risk assessment instead 
of a fingerprint-based criminal history records 
check is determined, by the Secretary of Home-
land Security, to be equivalent to a fingerprint- 
based criminal history records check conducted 
through the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
(3) MARKETING
OF
PRECHECK
PROGRAM.— 
Upon publication of PreCheck program application 
enrollment standards pursuant to paragraph (1), the 
Administrator shall—
(A) in accordance with such standards, de-
velop and implement— 
(i) a process, including an associated 
timeframe, for approving private sector 
marketing of the TSA PreCheck program; 
and 
(ii) a strategy for partnering with the 
private sector to encourage enrollment in 
such program; and 
(B) submit to Congress a report on any 
PreCheck fees collected in excess of the costs of 
administering such program, including rec-
ommendations for using such amounts to sup-
port marketing of such program under this sub-
section. 
(4) IDENTITY VERIFICATION ENHANCEMENT.— 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall— 
(A) coordinate with the heads of appro-
priate components of the Department to lever-
age Department-held data and technologies to 
verify the citizenship of individuals enrolling in 
the TSA PreCheck program; and 
(B) partner with the private sector to use 
advanced biometrics and standards comparable
with National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology standards to facilitate enrollment in 
such program. 
(5) PRECHECK LANE OPERATION.—The Admin-
istrator shall— 
(A) ensure that TSA PreCheck screening 
lanes are open and available during peak and 
high-volume travel times at airports to individ-
uals enrolled in the PreCheck program; and 
(B) make every practicable effort to pro-
vide expedited screening at standard screening 
lanes during times when PreCheck screening 
lanes are closed to individuals enrolled in such 
program in order to maintain operational effi-
ciency. 
(6) VETTING FOR PRECHECK PARTICIPANTS.— 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate an 
assessment of the security vulnerabilities in the vet-
ting process for the PreCheck program that includes 
an evaluation of whether subjecting PreCheck par-
ticipants to recurrent fingerprint-based criminal his-
tory records checks, in addition to recurrent checks 
against the terrorist watchlist, could be done in a
cost-effective manner to strengthen the security of 
the PreCheck program. 
SEC. 102. PRECHECK AND GENERAL PASSENGER BIOMET-
RIC IDENTIFICATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall con-
duct a pilot project to establish a secure, automated, bio-
metric-based system at airports to verify the identity of 
passengers who are members of TSA PreCheck. Such sys-
tem shall— 
(1) reduce the need for security screening per-
sonnel to perform travel document verification for 
individuals enrolled in TSA PreCheck; 
(2) reduce the average wait time of individuals 
enrolled in TSA PreCheck; 
(3) reduce overall operating expenses of the Ad-
ministration; 
(4) be integrated with the Administration’s 
watch list and trusted traveler matching program; 
(5) be integrated with other checkpoint tech-
nologies to further facilitate risk-based passenger 
screening at the checkpoint, to the extent practicable 
and consistent with security standards; and
(6) consider capabilities and policies of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry Pro-
gram, as appropriate. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCREENING SYSTEM FOR 
CERTAIN
PASSENGERS.—Section 44901 of title 49, 
United States Code is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (l) 
as subsections (d) through (m), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(c) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCREENING SYSTEM FOR 
CERTAIN PASSENGERS.—Not later than December 31, 
2017, in accordance with the requirements of the Trans-
portation Security Administration Reform and Improve-
ment Act of 2015, the Administrator of the Transpor-
tation Security Administration shall establish a secure, 
automated system at all large hub airports for verifying 
travel and identity documents of passengers who are not 
members of the Administration’s risk-based aviation pas-
senger screening program, known as ‘TSA PreCheck’. 
Such system shall— 
‘‘(1) assess the need for security screening per-
sonnel to perform travel document verification for 
such passengers, thereby assessing the overall num-
ber of such screening personnel;
‘‘(2) assess the average wait time of such pas-
sengers; 
‘‘(3) assess overall operating expenses of the 
Administration; 
‘‘(4) be integrated with the Administration’s 
watch list matching program; and 
‘‘(5) be integrated with other checkpoint tech-
nologies to further facilitate risk-based passenger 
screening at the checkpoint, to the extent practicable 
and consistent with security standards.’’. 
SEC. 103. LIMITATION; PRECHECK OPERATIONS MAIN-
TAINED; ALTERNATE METHODS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 
(c), the Administrator shall direct that access to expedited 
airport security screening at an airport security check-
point be limited to only the following: 
(1) A passenger who voluntarily submits bio-
graphic and biometric information for a security risk 
assessment and whose application for the PreCheck 
program has been approved, or a passenger who is 
a participant in another trusted or registered trav-
eler program of the Department. 
(2) A passenger traveling pursuant to section 
44903 of title 49, United States Code (as estab-
lished under the Risk-Based Security for Members
of the Armed Forces Act (Public Law 112–86)), sec-
tion 44927 of such title (as established under the 
Helping Heroes Fly Act (Public Law 113–27)), or 
section 44928 of such title (as established under the 
Honor Flight Act (Public Law 113–221)). 
(3) A passenger who did not voluntarily submit 
biographic and biometric information for a security 
risk assessment but is a member of a population 
designated by the Administrator as known and low- 
risk and who may be issued a unique, known trav-
eler number by the Administrator determining that 
such passenger is a member of a category of trav-
elers designated by the Administrator as known and 
low-risk. 
(b) PRECHECK OPERATIONS MAINTAINED.—In car-
rying out subsection (a), the Administrator shall ensure 
that expedited airport security screening remains available 
to passengers at or above the level that exists on the day 
before the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) FREQUENT FLIERS.—If the Administrator deter-
mines that such is appropriate, the implementation of sub-
section (a) may be delayed by up to 1 year with respect 
to the population of passengers who did not voluntarily 
submit biographic and biometric information for security 
risk assessments but who nevertheless receive expedited
airport security screening because such passengers are 
designated as frequent fliers by air carriers. If the Admin-
istrator uses the authority provided by this subsection, the 
Administrator shall notify the Committee on Homeland 
Security of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate of such phased-in implementation. 
(d) ALTERNATE METHODS.—The Administrator may 
provide access to expedited airport security screening to 
additional passengers pursuant to an alternate method 
upon the submission to the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
of an independent assessment of the security effectiveness 
of such alternate method that is conducted by an inde-
pendent entity that determines that such alternate method 
is designed to— 
(1) reliably and effectively identify passengers 
who likely pose a low risk to the United States avia-
tion system; 
(2) mitigate the likelihood that a passenger who 
may pose a security threat to the United States 
aviation system is selected for expedited security 
screening; and