Congress passed and sent to the White House the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012 (S. 3542), a bill introduced in September aimed at eliminating some duplicative security screening for connecting baggage at U.S. airports.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill, which has broad bipartisan and industry support.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Tourism Caucus co-chairs Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), gives the Transportation Security Administration the discretion to waive the rescreening of through-checked baggage arriving from pre-clearance airports in Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean.
Under current law, checked baggage on inbound international flights must be rescreened before being placed on connecting flights in the U.S., even if the baggage was already screened at the pre-clearance airport.
Klobuchar said in a statement, “This commonsense legislation marks an important step in helping the TSA ensure the security of luggage more efficiently and effectively while reducing delays for passengers.”
The House version of the bill was sponsored by outgoing Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.).