Bipartisan Bill to Streamline TSA Security Clearance Process for Transportation Workers Moves Through Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act passed through the Committee on Homeland Security, bringing this important legislation one step closer to becoming law.

Representatives Adam Smith (Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee) and Garret Graves (Chairman, House Aviation Subcommittee) introduced the Transportation Safety Administration Modernization Act in December 2023 to eliminate redundant fees and background checks for essential transportation workers.
 
The bill cuts through red tape to allow workers to apply existing valid background checks to multiple TSA-managed credentialing programs, preventing workers from going through identical processes multiple times. With each of these credentials having varying expiration dates and fees, workers end up spending a significant amount of time and money keeping their credentials up to date, preventing them from fully participating in the workforce.
 
This new streamlining legislation reduces costs and hassle for workers like truck drivers, pipeline operators, longshoremen, and warehouse managers, among many others, who must obtain these credentials as a condition of employment.
 
“I’m thrilled to hear that this bill has passed through the Homeland Security Committee, bringing us one step closer to less redundancy in the TSA screening process,” said Rep. Smith.  “I’ve heard from many transportation workers in my district who have had to spend a significant amount of time and money to keep their credentials up to date. It’s urgent we pass this legislation into law so that our transportation workers can have a more streamlined application and renewal process. After this great step forward, I am optimistic and hopeful that this bipartisan, commonsense legislation will pass the Senate and become law.”
 
“The Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act unlocks the potential of Louisiana’s transportation workforce by knocking out duplicative processes without sacrificing security,” said Graves. “This is a huge win for the 1 in 5 Louisianans whose jobs are tied to the efficiency of our ports and a nation who relies on us to ensure the resilience of the American supply chain."

Background
 
The Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act does not make any modifications to the back-end security assessment conducted on individual applicants, ensuring that applicants must undergo the same level of review as they do under current law. This bill simply modernizes the consumer-facing applicant process to reduce the burden on American transportation workers who must maintain more than one TSA credential, such as the Transportation Worker Identification Credentials and Hazardous Materials Endorsements.

A fact sheet for the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act can be found here.
A full list of endorsements can be found here.
The bill text can be found here.