Airport security screening should be more efficient, effective

OLYMPIA – Tired of waiting in line at the airport? Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, is proposing a bill that would create a task force to evaluate whether Washington should participate in a federal program to expedite airport screening at international airports in the state.

“It’s never fun to wait in line at the airport. If our government can expedite the process without risking our safety and security, they should do it” said Jacobsen.

Jacobsen is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5068, which would create the International Airport Expedited Security Screening Task Force. The group would examine the findings and recommendations of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) registered traveler pilot program developed by the TSA and private vendors. The registered traveler program provides expedited security screening for air travelers who volunteer biometric and biographic information and successfully complete a security threat assessment. The TSA charges an annual fee of $30 to each person to use the registered traveler security lines.

“People seem to always express frustration over the lines at airports” said Jacobsen. “We need to begin the process of evaluating our security screening and figure out a way to speed it up.”

SB 5068 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Senate Hearing Room 1 of the John A. Cherberg Building in Olympia.

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