Title: Aviation Employee Screening and Security Enhancement Act of 2017
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Aviation Employee Screening and Security Enhancement Act of 2017
This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to submit a cost and feasibility study of a statistically significant number of Category I, II, and X airports to ensure that all airport employee entry and exit points leading to secure airport areas are comprised of:
The TSA shall:
The TSA also shall:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 876 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 876

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reform programs of the 
    Transportation Security Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2017

    Mr. Katko (for himself, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. 
Fitzpatrick, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Vela, 
 Mr. Keating, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reform programs of the 
    Transportation Security Administration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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 ``Administration'' means the 
        Transportation Security Administration.
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Transportation 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 committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means 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.
            (5) Foreign air carrier.--The term ``foreign air carrier'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 40102 of title 49, 
        United States Code.
            (6) 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)).

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 Committee (established under section 44946 
of title 49, United States Code), shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the 
Comptroller General of the United States a cost and feasibility study 
of a statistically significant number of Category I, II, and X airports 
to ensure that all employee entry and exit points that lead to secure 
areas of such airports are comprised of the following:
            (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 subsection (a) shall 
include information related to the employee screening costs of those 
category I, II, and X airports which have already implemented practices 
of screening 100 percent of employees entering secure areas of 
airports, including the following:
            (1) Costs associated with establishing an operational 
        minimum number of employee entry and exit points.
            (2) A comparison of costs associated with implementing the 
        requirements specified in paragraph (1), based on whether such 
        implementation was carried out by the Administration or 
        airports.
    (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 subsection (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, airport vendors, and airport concessionaires to 
enhance security awareness of credentialed airport populations 
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 Administrator shall, in 
        consultation with air carriers, foreign air carriers, airport 
        operators, vendors, and airport concessionaires, assess 
        credentialing standards, policies, and practices to ensure that 
        insider threats to aviation security are adequately addressed.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 30 days after completion of the 
        assessment required under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
        shall report to the appropriate congressional committees on the 
        results of such assessment.
    (c) SIDA Applications.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall revise the 
application submitted by an individual applying for a credential 
granting access to the Secure Identification Display Area (as such term 
is defined in section 1540.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations) 
of an airport to require the social security number of such individual 
in order to strengthen security vetting effectiveness.

SEC. 5. SECURING AIRPORT WORKER ACCESS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall work with airport 
operators to identify advanced technologies, including biometric 
identification technologies, for securing employee access to the secure 
and sterile areas of airports (as such terms are defined in section 
1540.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations).
    (b) Rap Back Vetting.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall ensure that all 
credentialed aviation worker populations 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.
    (c) Insider Threat Education and Mitigation.--Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall identify means of enhancing the Administration's ability to 
leverage the resources of the Department of Homeland Security and the 
intelligence community to educate Administration personnel on insider 
threats to aviation security and how the Administration can better 
mitigate such insider threats.
    (d) Playbook Operations.--The Administrator shall ensure that 
Administration-led employee screening efforts, known as Playbook 
operations, are targeted, strategic, and focused on providing the 
greatest level of security effectiveness.
    (e) Covert Testing.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall increase covert 
        testing of employee screening operations at airports and 
        measure existing levels of security effectiveness. The 
        Administrator shall provide to air carriers, foreign air 
        carriers, airport operators, airport vendors, and airport 
        concessionaires--
                    (A) the results of such testing; and
                    (B) recommendations based on such results and 
                measurements on how to improve such security screening 
                operations.
            (2) Annual reporting.--The Administrator shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees an annual report on 
        the frequency, methodology, strategy, and effectiveness of 
        employee screening operations at airports.
    (f) Centralized Database.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with 
the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, shall--
            (1) establish a national database of Administration 
        employees who have had either their airport or aircraft 
        operator-issued badge revoked for failure to comply with 
        aviation security requirements;
            (2) determine the appropriate reporting mechanisms for 
        airports and air carriers and foreign air carriers to--
                    (A) submit to the Administration data regarding 
                employees described in paragraph (1); and
                    (B) access the database established pursuant to 
                such paragraph; and
            (3) establish a process that allows individuals whose names 
        were mistakenly entered into such database to have their names 
        removed and have their credentialing restored.

SEC. 6. INSIDER THREAT COORDINATION EFFORTS.

    The Department of Homeland Security is the lead interagency 
coordinator pertaining to insider threat investigations and mitigation 
efforts at airports. The Department shall make every practicable effort 
to coordinate with other relevant Government entities when undertaking 
such investigations and efforts.

SEC. 7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a plan to conduct recurring reviews of the operational, 
technical, and management security controls for Administration 
information technology systems at airports.
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