Sen. Lee Introduces the Screening Partnership Reform Act

September 18, 2018

WASHINGTON – Yesterday. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Screening Partnership Reform Act, a bill that would make changes to the Transportation Safety Administration’s Screening Partnership Program.

“While the Screening Partnership program has existed for almost 20 years, only 22 airports participate in the program, despite its safety record and cost-effectiveness,” Sen. Lee said. “This bill would clear some of the bureaucratic red-tape surrounding this program in an attempt to unleash the potential cost-saving benefits of these private screening contractors, while also simplifying the application process and improving the efficiency of our screenings. Simply put – this bill would save American’s money and make them safer.”

The bill would codify reforms to TSA’s cost estimation process to make it more accurate by including all federal government costs, including government benefits, when assessing how much the government would spend on a contract. It would allow private screening companies to annually submit recommendations on how to improve the screening processes and also empowers airports to make the decision whether to go with a TSA contract or a TSA-approved private screening company.