HR-4698 : Still Just a Bill

Securing Aviation from Foreign Entry Points and Guarding Airports Through Enhanced Security Act of 2016

This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive security risk assessment of all last point of departure airports with nonstop flights to the United States.

The TSA shall submit to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) a plan:

• to enhance collaboration, coordination, and information-sharing about international-inbound aviation between the United States and domestic and foreign partners in order to enhance security capabilities at foreign airports; and
• that assesses TSA ability to enter into a mutual agreement with a foreign government entity to permit TSA representatives to conduct inspections of foreign airports without prior notice.

The GAO shall review TSA efforts to enhance security capabilities at foreign airports and secure international-inbound aviation.

The TSA shall submit to Congress a comprehensive workforce assessment of all TSA personnel within its Office of Global Strategies or whose primary professional duties contribute to the TSA's global efforts to secure transportation security, including whether they are assigned in a risk-based, intelligence-driven matter.

The TSA may donate security screening equipment to a foreign last point of departure airport operator if the equipment can be expected to mitigate a specific vulnerability to U.S. security or U.S. citizens.

The TSA may evaluate foreign countries' air cargo programs to determine whether they provide a level of security commensurate with that required by U.S. air cargo security programs.