This past Wednesday, June 19, 2019, Senators Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) introduced a bipartisan bill called the "Veterans Expedited TSA Screening (VETS) Safe Travel Act", which would provide disabled veterans with free TSA (Transportation Security Administration) PreCheck access at U.S. airports.
The TSA PreCheck program allows pre-approved members to pass through airport security screening without removing shoes, belts or light jackets, or taking laptops or liquids out of carry-on bags.
The no-charge TSA PreCheck benefit is already offered to active duty service members, the National Guard and members of the Reserves. The VETS Safe Travel Act would extend that same advantage to approximately 70,000 amputee veterans, 100,000 paralyzed, and 130,000 blind American military veterans.
The proposed legislation is designed, not only to expedite the airport security screening process for eligible veterans, but also to address certain concerns surrounding the potential removal of prosthetic limbs or appliances in crowded airport spaces.
One of the bill's proponents, Senator Tammy Duckworth, is the first disabled female veteran to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Duckworth is a former Army lieutenant colonel and Blackhawk pilot who lost both her legs, and partial use of an arm, while serving in Iraq in 2004, when a rocket-propelled grenade fired by insurgents struck her helicopter.
"Millions of veterans have sacrificed a great deal in service to our nation and returned home with service-connected disabilities. For those of us who rely on prosthetics and wheelchairs for mobility, air travel and passing through airport security can be a challenge," said Duckworth in a statement." I'm proud to join Senator Young in introducing this bipartisan legislation to make TSA PreCheck available at no cost to these Veterans, and make flying and passing through airports a little easier and less intrusive."
The VETS Safe Travel Act is receiving support from the Wounded Warrior Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Honor Flight Network, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion. ConnectingVets.com reports that the bill has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and is currently awaiting review.
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