TWO SENATORS RE-INTRODUCE BILL TO END DIVERSION OF TSA FEES
October 12, 2021
On September 9, 2021, Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal announced their intention to re-introduce a bill known as the “Funding for Aviation Screeners and Threat Elimination Restoration” (FASTER) Act, to end federal diversion of Transportation Security Administration, or “TSA”, fees also known as 9/11 Passenger Security user fees to other federal purposes.
TSA fees are charges collected every time a passenger buys a plane ticket and were originally intended to help finance the costs associated with funding TSA. However, since 2013, Congress has diverted one-third of the revenue generated by TSA fees to pay for other largely unrelated federal programs. Under the FASTER Act, the requirement that a portion of TSA fees be deposited in the general fund of the U.S. Treasury to be used for unrelated federal programs would be repealed, and instead, the fees would be deposited into a separate account of the U.S. Treasury and specifically used to cover the costs and services of the TSA, which would allow TSA to invest in its workforce, new equipment, and new technology.
Several aviation groups such as the Airports Council International – North America (“ACI-NA”), Airlines for America, and the American Association of Airport Executives have indicated their support of the new bill.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Andy Orr (aorr@eckertsemans.com or 202-659-6625).
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