Helping Heroes Fly Act
PL 113-27 (H.R.1344), enacted 08/09/2013

[113th Congress Public Law 27]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 127 STAT. 503]]

Public Law 113-27
113th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary 
of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to provide 
   expedited air passenger screening to severely injured or disabled 
 members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans, 
     and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Aug. 9, 2013 -  [H.R. 1344]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Helping Heroes 
Fly Act. 49 USC 40101 note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Heroes Fly Act''.
SEC. 2. OPERATIONS CENTER PROGRAM FOR SEVERELY INJURED OR DISABLED 
                    MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND SEVERELY 
                    INJURED OR DISABLED VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 449 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 44927. Expedited screening for severely injured or disabled 
                    members of the Armed Forces and severely 
                    injured or disabled veterans

    ``(a) <<NOTE: Consultation.>>  Passenger Screening.--The Assistant 
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs, and organizations identified by the Secretaries of 
Defense and Veteran Affairs that advocate on behalf of severely injured 
or disabled members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled 
veterans, shall develop and implement a process to support and 
facilitate the ease of travel and to the extent possible provide 
expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled 
members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans 
through passenger screening. The process shall be designed to offer the 
individual private screening to the maximum extent practicable.

    ``(b) Operations Center.--As part of the process under subsection 
(a), the Assistant Secretary shall maintain an operations center to 
provide support and facilitate the movement of severely injured or 
disabled members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled 
veterans through passenger screening prior to boarding a passenger 
aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air 
transportation or intrastate air transportation.
    ``(c) Protocols.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
            ``(1) <<NOTE: Publication. Consultation.>>  establish and 
        publish protocols, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the 
        organizations identified under subsection (a), under which a 
        severely injured or disabled member of the Armed

[[Page 127 STAT. 504]]

        Forces or severely injured or disabled veteran, or the family 
        member or other representative of such member or veteran, may 
        contact the operations center maintained under subsection (b) 
        and request the expedited passenger screening services described 
        in subsection (a) for that member or veteran; and
            ``(2) <<NOTE: Notification.>>  upon receipt of a request 
        under paragraph (1), require the operations center to notify the 
        appropriate Federal Security Director of the request for 
        expedited passenger screening services, as described in 
        subsection (a), for that member or veteran.

    ``(d) Training.--The Assistant Secretary shall integrate training on 
the protocols established under subsection (c) into the training 
provided to all employees who will regularly provide the passenger 
screening services described in subsection (a).
    ``(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall affect 
the authority of the Assistant Secretary to require additional screening 
of a severely injured or disabled member of the Armed Forces, a severely 
injured or disabled veteran, or their accompanying family members or 
nonmedical attendants, if intelligence, law enforcement, or other 
information indicates that additional screening is necessary.
    ``(f) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this section, and annually thereafter, the Assistant Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this section. Each 
report shall include each of the following:
            ``(1) Information on the training provided under subsection 
        (d).
            ``(2) Information on the consultations between the Assistant 
        Secretary and the organizations identified under subsection (a).
            ``(3) The number of people who accessed the operations 
        center during the period covered by the report.
            ``(4) Such other information as the Assistant Secretary 
        determines is appropriate.''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
subchapter I of chapter 449 of title 49, United States

[[Page 127 STAT. 505]]

Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 44926 
the following new item:

``44927. Expedited screening for severely injured or disabled members of 
           the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled 
           veterans.''.

    Approved August 9, 2013.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1344:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 159 (2013):
            May 21, considered and passed House.
            Aug. 1, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Aug. 2, House concurred in Senate amendment.

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