Bill Aims To Rein In TSA
A bipartisan group of Congressmen, all of them members of the recently formed General Aviation Caucus, has introduced a bill that would require the TSA to behave more like other government agencies when issuing emergency rules. H.R. 3678 (PDF), sponsored by Rep. John Mica, D-Fla., would still allow the TSA to respond quickly to imminent threats by issuing security directives and emergency regulations but it would require the agency to hold a formal rulemaking process if the rules are left in place for longer than 180 days. It would also require the agency to follow established rules in enacting the regulations and directives. The goal is to bring some consistency to the way the agency exerts itself, said National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen.
A bipartisan group of Congressmen, all of them members of the recently formed General Aviation Caucus, has introduced a bill that would require the TSA to behave more like other government agencies when issuing emergency rules. H.R. 3678 (PDF), sponsored by Rep. John Mica, D-Fla., would still allow the TSA to respond quickly to imminent threats by issuing security directives and emergency regulations but it would require the agency to hold a formal rulemaking process if the rules are left in place for longer than 180 days. It would also require the agency to follow established rules in enacting the regulations and directives. The goal is to bring some consistency to the way the agency exerts itself, said National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen.
"This legislation will allow us to work with the TSA to respond quickly to imminent security threats, while at the same time providing a review process that properly balances risk with potential industry impacts," Bolen said. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., Vernon J. Ehlers, R-Mich., Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Thomas Petri, R-Wis.
