HB - Defund TSA Act (Passed)

[Goldwater]

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This is a bill which passed in the Senate last session that I missed. We need someone to sponsor it.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Thank you for opening this thread, Goldwater.  I'll be happy to answer any questions.

[Dereich]

One effect of the TSA security is that they standardize security measures across the country. Everyone has to go through more or less the same types of machines and faces the same restrictions on what they can bring onto a plane, from weaponry to liquids not in a small plastic bag. While this legislation would increase funding and allow for airports to regulate their security how they want, it doesn't set any specific standards that they'd need to follow.

So I could see a scenario where one airport has even more stringent security than TSA standards and another has no security standards at all. Or a scenario where someone is detained for having something in their luggage that is against airport A's regulations when they got it perfectly legitimately at the more lenient airport B. Do you see either of these as a problem?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

One effect of the TSA security is that they standardize security measures across the country. Everyone has to go through more or less the same types of machines and faces the same restrictions on what they can bring onto a plane, from weaponry to liquids not in a small plastic bag. While this legislation would increase funding and allow for airports to regulate their security how they want, it doesn't set any specific standards that they'd need to follow.

So I could see a scenario where one airport has even more stringent security than TSA standards and another has no security standards at all. Or a scenario where someone is detained for having something in their luggage that is against airport A's regulations when they got it perfectly legitimately at the more lenient airport B. Do you see either of these as a problem?

I don't necessarily consider either of those scenarios to be recurring problems.  Passengers, I would assume, would know what is and what is not allowed to be brought on flights before they purchase their tickets.  But there is disagreement over what items should and shouldn't be prohibited on flights.  For example, U.S. and European security officials currently plan to ban laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices from the cabins of trans-Atlantic flights.  The British Airline Pilots' Association opposes this ban on the grounds that it could lead to more accidental fires in cargo holds, posing a greater risk than that of terrorism.  Other travel and security experts say that the countries implementing the ban risk alienating tourists and business travelers.  This is a matter that I feel should be left to the individual airports operating in the country.

If, however, a member of the House would like to offer an amendment that establishes certain standards, or authorizes a national security department to write rules which don't impede upon a flyer's right to their privacy and property, I could support that change as a compromise.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Before we start talking about amendments, we should get a House sponsor.

any takers?

[Leinad]

Before we start talking about amendments, we should get a House sponsor.

any takers?

I'll totally take this, yeah.

[Clyde1998]

Before we start talking about amendments, we should get a House sponsor.

any takers?

I'll totally take this, yeah.

I have no objections to this, so I'll second this.

[OneJ]

So Senator Scott, this may be an amateur question on my behalf but can you inform me on what those DHS tests were and how were they utilized?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Representatives have 48 hours to object to Leinad's assumption of sponsorship.


for some reason I thought I already did this, must have not gone through during those mid hour early morning slow downs.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

So Senator Scott, this may be an amateur question on my behalf but can you inform me on what those DHS tests were and how were they utilized?

Of course.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558.html

This article is pretty straightforward; in essence, the DHS was able to smuggle fake explosives, weapons, and other contraband past airport screeners in airports across the country.  TSA agents failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the department's "Red Teams," which are undercover passengers tasked with identifying weaknesses in the screening process.  95% of the time a banned item was brought on board, it went undetected.

[Classic Conservative]

Question for the Senator, are airports still required to have security if this bill passes?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Question for the Senator, are airports still required to have security if this bill passes?

Yes.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Leinad is now the sponsor of this bill for the House.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So any further amendments needed here?

[Clyde1998]

So any further amendments needed here?

I'm personally happy with this; I think that the TSA hasn't really improved security, but made air travel worse for passengers. This bill should be resolve the issues that have arisen without harming security at airports.

[OneJ]

I motion for a final vote.

[Clyde1998]

I motion for a final vote.

I'll second this.

[Goldwater]

Okay, this is now at a final vote. Please vote AYE, NAY, or Abstain.

[JGibson]

AYE

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

Aye

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE

[Leinad]

Aye

[Dereich]

Nay

[Chief Justice Keef]

Because I was not sworn in before this bill was debated, I'll ABSTAIN.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Time expired on this vote yesterday evening.