HR 1140 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

Latest action · Mar 5, 2020 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedFeb 11, 2019
  2. Passed HouseMar 5, 2020
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

This bill modifies the workplace rights, protections, and benefits applicable to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.

Specifically, the bill

  • within 180 days, eliminates personnel authorities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation governing the conditions of employment for TSA employees, thus making TSA employees subject to the personnel management system applicable to other federal employees;
  • sets forth transition rules that protect the pay rates, leave rights, and other rights of TSA employees;
  • requires DHS to consult with the labor organization certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to carry out the conversion of such positions;
  • does not affect the prohibitions against disloyalty and asserting the right to strike against the federal government;
  • expresses the sense of Congress that the personnel system used by the TSA provides insufficient benefits and workplace protections for its workforce and such personnel should be provided protections and benefits under the civil service system applicable to all federal employees;
  • directs the TSA to consult with public and private entities associated with the Federal Air Marshal Service to address concerns regarding federal air marshals, including mental health and suicide rates;
  • prohibits TSA employees from using or installing the social media video application TikTok on U.S. government-issued mobile devices;
  • requires DHS to prioritize the hiring of veterans, including disabled veterans; and
  • directs the TSA to ensure its employees are provided proper guidance regarding prevention and protections against the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19).

Recorded votes 4

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 90Passed230–171Mar 5, 2020
House 89Passed227–175Mar 5, 2020
House 88Agreed to403–0Mar 5, 2020
House 87On Agreeing to the AmendmentAgreed to399–1Mar 5, 2020

Yea 399

Nay 1

Cosponsors 242

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 11, 2019 to Feb 18, 2020; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NYNita M. LoweyOriginalFeb 11, 2019
D-NJBonnie Watson ColemanFeb 13, 2019
D-GADavid ScottFeb 13, 2019
D-FLDebbie Wasserman SchultzFeb 13, 2019
D-NVDina TitusFeb 13, 2019
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioFeb 13, 2019
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeFeb 13, 2019
D-FLVal Butler DemingsFeb 13, 2019
D-FLDarren SotoFeb 15, 2019
D-WIGwen MooreFeb 15, 2019
D-CAJulia BrownleyFeb 15, 2019
D-CARo KhannaFeb 15, 2019
D-ORSuzanne BonamiciFeb 15, 2019
D-OREarl BlumenauerFeb 19, 2019
D-VAElaine G. LuriaFeb 19, 2019

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseHomeland Security Committee
Referred Feb 11, 2019Markup Jan 29, 2020Reported Feb 26, 2020
Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee
Referred Mar 15, 2019Discharged Jan 29, 2020
HouseOversight and Government Reform Committee
Referred Feb 11, 2019Discharged Feb 21, 2020
SenateCommerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Referred Mar 5, 2020

Actions 47

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 5, 2020Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1508-1514; text: CR H1509)
  2. Mar 5, 2020DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 877, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Rogers (AL) amendment No. 1.
  3. Mar 5, 2020DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 877, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Rose (NY) amendment No. 2.
  4. Mar 5, 2020DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 877, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Peters amendment No. 4.
  5. Mar 5, 2020DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 877, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Brown (MD) amendment No. 5.

In the Congressional Record 3

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
House · ExtensionsDebate and remarks E271, H1508–H1519Text printed H1509Amendments H1509, H1510, H1511, H1512, H1513, H1514, H1518Motions H1517Recorded votes H1515, H1516, H1518Cisneros amendment (prioritize hiring of veterans and related preference eligible individuals for positions within Transportation Security Administration)Lesko motion to recommit (prohibit TSA hiring of candidates with a history of sexual misconduct, offenses involving minors, or terrorism)Mucarsel-Powell amendment (provide Transportation and Security Administration employees proper guidance regarding prevention and protections against coronavirus)Abigail Davis Spanberger D-VA (amendment), Andy Kim D-NJ (amendment), Anthony G. Brown D-MD (amendment), Bennie G. Thompson D-MS (amendment), Debbie Lesko R-AZ (motion), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell D-FL (amendment), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. D-CA (amendment), Jenniffer González-Colón R-PR (amendment), Max Rose D-NY (amendment), Mike Rogers R-AL (amendment), Scott H. Peters D-CA (amendment), Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Val Butler Demings D-FLMar 5, 2020
HouseDebate and remarks H1477–H1484, H1485–H1489Text printed H1477Amendments H1483Recorded votes H1483, H1484consideration (H. Res. 877), previous questionBennie G. Thompson D-MS, Bonnie Watson Coleman D-NJ, Debbie Lesko R-AZ (amendment), Dina Titus D-NV, Donald M. Payne, Jr. D-NJ, J. Luis Correa D-CA, Lee M. Zeldin R-NY, Mary Gay Scanlon D-PA, Mike Rogers R-AL, Nita M. Lowey D-NY, Peter A. DeFazio D-OR, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TXMar 4, 2020
HouseReports H1168—Feb 21, 2020

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate

  1. Mar 3, 2020H.R. 1140, Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020As reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on February 21, 2020

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1 Section 8

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 26, February 11, 2019, page H1518.

Printed hearings 4

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 116-70BUSINESS AS USUAL? ASSESSING HOW DHS CAN RESUME OPERATIONS SAFELY42 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeJun 16, 2020
Serial No. 116-67SECURING AMERICA'S TRANSPORTATION AND MARITIME SYSTEMS: A REVIEW OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET REQUESTS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION AND THE U.S. COAST GUARD52 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeMar 11, 2020
Serial No. 116-56SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER: WHY IS MORALE AT DHS STILL LOW?63 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeJan 14, 2020
Serial No. 116-21THE TSA WORKFORCE CRISIS: A HOMELAND SECURITY RISK45 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeMay 21, 2019

Amendments 9

Amendments offered to this bill.

AmendmentDescriptionOffered byStatus
HAmdt 804An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 116-411 to require GAO to study rates of pay for Transportation Security Administration employees with duty stations in the territories, Alaska, and Hawaii with those in the contiguous 48 states based on pay systems.Mike Rogers R-ALOn agreeing to the Rogers (AL) amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote.
HAmdt 805An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 116-411 to state that nothing in this Act shall be construed as to contradict existing law regarding terrorism transcending national boundaries, harboring or concealing terrorists, or providing material support to terrorists.Max Rose D-NYOn agreeing to the Rose (NY) amendment (A002) Agreed to by voice vote.
HAmdt 806An amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 116-411 to require a GAO report to Congress within one year of enactment, studying TSA's recruitment efforts in general, and specifically efforts to recruit veterans and military families. The report will include recommendations to improve such recruitment efforts.Scott H. Peters D-CAOn agreeing to the Peters amendment (A003) Agreed to by voice vote.
HAmdt 807An amendment numbered 5 printed in House Report 116-411 to reaffirm that the Transportation Security Administration's workforce should be provided protections and benefits under Title 5 because of the critical role they play in securing the nation's transportation systems.Anthony G. Brown D-MDOn agreeing to the Brown (MD) amendment (A004) Agreed to by voice vote.
HAmdt 808An amendment numbered 6 printed in House Report 116-411 to direct the TSA Administrator to engage and consult with entities associated with the Federal Air Marshal Service to address concerns related to (but not limited to) mental health, suicide, morale, and recruitment.Andy Kim D-NJOn agreeing to the Kim amendment (A005) Agreed to by voice vote.

Related bills 4

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Titles 5

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To enhance the security operations of the Transportation Security Administration and stability of the transportation security workforce by applying the personnel system under title 5, United States Code, to employees of the Transportation Security Administration who provide screening of all passengers and property, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2019
Short Title(s) as Reported to House
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020
Short Title(s) as Passed House
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020
Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 5, 2020Referred in Senate
  2. Mar 5, 2020Engrossed in House
  3. Feb 21, 2020Reported in House
  4. Feb 11, 2019Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.