PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Secretary of Homeland Security must focus on creating, testing, improving, and putting into use equipment at airport security checkpoints that can find nonmetallic, chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive weapons on people and in their personal items. The gear, alone or as part of a system, must work in real operating conditions and catch the kinds of weapons terrorists might try to bring on a plane. The TSA Administrator must give Congress a strategic plan for using and placing explosive-detection equipment at airports. The plan can be classified and must describe current efforts; how the equipment is used; a rollout schedule and how many machines are needed; funding needs and plans to tap non‑Federal money; steps taken and planned for interim passenger screening; and any suggested laws. Equipment examples include walk‑through explosive portals, document scanners, shoe scanners, and backscatter x‑ray scanners. An additional $250,000,000, beyond other authorized funds, is authorized for research, development, and installation of detectors for biological, chemical, radiological, and explosive materials. Until all passengers can be screened, TSA must give explosives screening to everyone picked for extra screening and to the personal items they will carry onto passenger flights by U.S. or foreign airlines, including intrastate flights.

Title 49, §44925

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Weapons and Explosives.—

The Secretary of Homeland Security shall give a high priority to developing, testing, improving, and deploying, at airport screening checkpoints, equipment that detects nonmetallic, chemical, biological, and radiological weapons, and explosives, in all forms, on individuals and in their personal property. The Secretary shall ensure that the equipment alone, or as part of an integrated system, can detect under realistic operating conditions the types of weapons and explosives that terrorists would likely try to smuggle aboard an air carrier aircraft.

(b)Strategic Plan for Deployment and Use of Explosive Detection Equipment at Airport Screening Checkpoints.—

(1)In general.—

The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategic plan to promote the optimal utilization and deployment of explosive detection equipment at airports to screen individuals and their personal property. Such equipment includes walk-through explosive detection portals, document scanners, shoe scanners, and backscatter x-ray scanners. The plan may be submitted in a classified format.

(2)Content.—

The strategic plan shall include, at minimum—

(A)a description of current efforts to detect explosives in all forms on individuals and in their personal property;

(B)a description of the operational applications of explosive detection equipment at airport screening checkpoints;

(C)a deployment schedule and a description of the quantities of equipment needed to implement the plan;

(D)a description of funding needs to implement the plan, including a financing plan that provides for leveraging of non-Federal funding;

(E)a description of the measures taken and anticipated to be taken in carrying out subsection (d); and

(F)a description of any recommended legislative actions.

(c)Portal Detection Systems.—

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security for the use of the Transportation Security Administration $250,000,000, in addition to any amounts otherwise authorized by law, for research, development, and installation of detection systems and other devices for the detection of biological, chemical, radiological, and explosive materials.

(d)Interim Action.—

Until measures are implemented that enable the screening of all passengers for explosives, the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall provide, by such means as the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration considers appropriate, explosives detection screening for all passengers identified for additional screening and their personal property that will be carried aboard a passenger aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air transportation or intrastate air transportation.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1991(d)(21)(A), substituted “The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration” for “Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration)”. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1991(d)(21)(B), struck out par. (3). Text read as follows: “The Secretary shall begin implementation of the strategic plan within one year after the date of enactment of this paragraph.” Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1991(d)(21)(C), substituted “Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration” for “Assistant Secretary” in two places. 2007—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 110–53 added par. (3).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Movement and Redeployment of Mobile Explosives Detection Systems Pub. L. 114–113, div. F, title II, Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 2499, provided in part: “That notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the current fiscal year and each fiscal year hereafter, mobile explosives detection systems purchased and deployed using funds made available under this heading [Transportation Security Administration, Aviation Security] may be moved and redeployed to meet evolving passenger and baggage screening security priorities at airports”. Issuance of Strategic Plan for Deployment and Use of Explosive Detection Equipment at Airport Screening Checkpoints Pub. L. 110–53, title XVI, § 1607(a), Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 483, provided that, not later than 30 days after Aug. 3, 2007, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, was to issue the strategic plan the Secretary was required by subsec. (b) of this section to have issued within 90 days after Dec. 17, 2004. Advanced Airport Checkpoint Screening Devices Pub. L. 108–458, title IV, § 4014, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3720, directed the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration), not later than Mar. 31, 2005, to develop and initiate a pilot program to deploy and test advanced airport checkpoint screening devices and technology as an integrated system at not less than 5 airports in the United States.

§44925 Deployment and Use of Detection Equipment at Airport Screening Checkpoints