Geneva, IL – U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today released the following statement regarding efforts by leaders in the House of Representatives to ensure that the Transportation Security Administration implements in a timely manner mandated reforms to the security screening process.

“Last month, Congress enacted commonsense reforms to the TSA’s screening process, ensuring that airports have a choice between security screening conducted solely by TSA agents or by private-federal screening,” said Hultgren, a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “I supported the underlying legislation because I believe airports need to be able to choose the screening model that best fits their needs. This was also the intent of Congress when it created the Agency and the Screening Partnership Program in 2001, yet last year the TSA attempted to end it.

“Private screeners are more efficient and more cost-effective, and ensuring that airports have a choice will help the federal government save money. Travelers will also benefit from the Screening Partnership Program, as they will no longer necessarily be subjected to the overzealous attentions of TSA employees. I have long been concerned that their efforts at security miss the mark, and invade the privacy of law-abiding Americans who pose no threat to security, including small children and the elderly. I commend Chairmen Mica and Issa for their work to ensure that the TSA complies with what is now the law of the land.”

Hultgren is a cosponsor of H.R. 3608, the Stop TSA’s Reach In Policy, or STRIP, Act. H.R. 3608 prohibits any TSA employee without federal law enforcement training from wearing a uniform or carrying a badge resembling that of a real law enforcement officer.

More information on the efforts of Chairmen Mica and Issa’s is available here.

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