The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for ensuring that workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of airports are vetted in accordance with security-related requirements. Such vetting procedures include checks of individuals’ criminal backgrounds and immigration status as well as checks against terrorist databases. H.R. 2750 would direct TSA to undertake additional activities to enhance procedures for vetting airport workers, particularly by expanding efforts to share data and terrorist-related information among federal agencies responsible for intelligence and law enforcement.
Based on information from TSA, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2750 would have no significant effect on the federal budget. According to the agency, many of the data-sharing activities authorized under H.R. 2750 are already occurring under current law. As a result, CBO estimates that any additional costs incurred under the legislation would not exceed $500,000 annually; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 2750 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 2750 would impose an intergovernmental and private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) on airport authorities that issue badges to people authorized to work at airports. The bill would require those authorities to set the expiration of badges to correspond with a person’s authorization to work in the United States. Under current law, badges must expire at least every two years. This bill would require airport authorities to change practices for the issuance of badges. Based on information from TSA and groups representing airport authorities, CBO estimates that the cost to both public and private airports of complying with the mandate would be small and well below the annual thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates ($77 million and $154 million, respectively in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
