Rep. Cravaack lauds House approval of TSA military screening bill

The House's unanimous vote this week on a bill to accelerate airport screening military personnel for flights is the least lawmakers can do for active soldiers, its sponsor, Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.), said.

The legislation, which calls for the TSA to develop a separate process for checking military personnel when they travel, is designed to ensure members of the armed forces can board planes more quickly. The measure was approved on 404-0 vote late Tuesday afternoon.

Cravaack said it was good to see Congress, which has been sharply divided on most issues, come together.

“With all the contention and political gridlock we’ve witnessed over the past several months, what’s most important is that we come together to agree where we can,” Cravaack said in a statement. 

“In respect to our men and women in uniform and in the best interest of our national security, this bipartisan initiative is the least we could do for our military personnel and their families traveling our nation’s airports while serving our country," he continued. "I urge the Senate to quickly take action.”

The TSA, which is regularly under fire for using such techniques as pat-downs and body scanners, is currently moving toward a “risk-based” system that would consider a passenger’s background information in his or her screening.

Cravaack said the TSA was testing a program that would use Department of Defense "Common Access Card" to quickly identify - and clear for flights - military personnel.

Cravaack attributed the program to the popularity of bill, which has been dubbed the "Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act" (H.R. 1801).

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