Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) this week introduced a new bill on the House floor, asking for reforms within the Transportation Security Administration in the wake of the firing of two screeners in Denver.
Rooney also wants to bar TSA workers from wearing uniforms and badges similar to those of regular policemen and women, saying it creates confusion about actual authority.
"Most people see a badge and uniform, and comply with the screeners' demands - even when those demands are abusive," Rooney said. "That has to end."
Rooney's introduction of the Stop TSA Abuses Act comes on the heels of an embarrassing situation. Two screeners were fired from their jobs as the Denver International Airport after groping passengers.
"Passengers are angry, and they should be. Full-body pat-downs and explicit photo screenings have gone too far, and the security benefits of implementing these procedures on random passengers are dubious at best," he said. "TSA full-body screenings and pat-downs are an invasive, unnecessary infringement on passengers' rights. Congress must exercise its oversight authority to investigate why TSA has mandated these new procedures and whether or not they actually provide stronger security for airline passengers."
Here's Rooney's speech on the House floor.
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