My Letter to Congress: H.R.2438 American Traveller Dignity Act of 2011

I am writing as your constituent in the 1st Congressional district of West Virginia. I support H.R.2438 - American Traveller Dignity Act of 2011, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

Sincerely,
Jessie Nichols

Dear Jessie,



Thank you for contacting me regarding the Transportation Safety
Administration's (TSA) security screening procedures. I appreciate
hearing from a fellow West Virginian on this important issue.



Currently, H.R. 2438, the American Traveler Dignity Act, is awaiting a
vote in the House. This legislation highlights some of the concerns
passengers have raised regarding TSA's screening procedures. The Senate
Commerce Committee, of which I am Chairman, has jurisdiction over the
TSA and their activities, including passenger screening. The agency has
been mandated by law to appropriately screen air travelers to make sure
that certain items and persons prohibited from flying do not board
commercial airliners. The current policy requires the TSA to inspect all
passengers thoroughly. This is why all passengers are screened by an
advanced imaging technology (AIT) machine or receive a pat down
procedure. It is an important step to guarantee the safety of all
passengers.



During the Committee's oversight of TSA, concerns have been raised about
the necessity of screening all passengers. In response, TSA recently
announced a policy decision that will give security screeners more
options for resolving screening issues, including the ability to forgo
pat-downs for passengers under the age of thirteen. The agency has
begun the process of putting these reforms into operation at commercial
airports in the United States. I believe this change in policy is an
appropriate way to move forward on the concerns raised by H.R. 2438,
while providing the agency with the flexibility it needs to guarantee
the security of the system.



I appreciate your thoughts about the screening procedures conducted by
the TSA. I believe it is important that the TSA has the ability to
conduct security measures that continue to strengthen our aviation
sector. The agency has worked hard to implement these new processes as
threats have emerged, and we must be able to make sure that all
individuals boarding aircraft are not carrying items that could be a
threat to airline safety and security. With that said, improvements can
always be made. I encourage you to submit any additional concerns to
the TSA directly via their website: http://www.tsa.gov/. When H.R.
2438 comes to the Senate, I will keep your thoughts in mind.



Again, thank you for being in touch on this matter. I welcome your
continued input on this and other issues that are important to you. I
wish you the best.




With Warm Regards,

Jay Rockefeller