U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on Friday introduced the Checkpoint Optimization Act of 2016 to overhaul the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) bureaucracy and relieve congestion at airports as peak travel season approaches.
“Travelers are frustrated with TSA’s bureaucracy – facing longer lines, and in some cases, missing flights and having to return home or stay overnight in the airport,” Katko said. “This is a crisis that must be addressed before we head into the busy summer months of travel. Today, I’ve introduced legislation which takes the first step in requiring greater coordination between the TSA and local airports so that we can relieve congestion and ensure that travelers are able to make it to their destinations on schedule.”
The legislation would grant TSA the flexibility to utilize all personnel present to compensate for long wait lines, ensure that all stakeholders are coordinating response through a staffing advisory committee, require TSA to assess its current staffing allocation model and share this model with both air carriers and airports, reallocate canine team assets to high volume airports and checkpoints, and require TSA to establish a service-level agreement and minimum staffing numbers with air carriers and airports.
Katko serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and chairs the Transportation Security Subcommittee.