Obama signs bill for vets at airport screening
The Associated Press reports that the President signed into law yesterday the Helping Heroes Fly Act that is intended to ease TSA airport screening for disabled and wounded veterans;
[Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, an Iraq war veteran who sponsored the bill] says the law ensures troops can return to life at home as quickly and seamlessly as possible. She says veterans deserve dignified screening processes that respect their service and sacrifices.
You can read the bill at the link above, but don’t expect everything to change overnight. The bill just directs DoD and the VA to “develop and implement a process to support and facilitate the ease of travel and to the extent possible provide expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans through passenger screening.” Knowing the speed at which those two agencies work, I wouldn’t expect much in the near future, although it is a step in the right direction.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Veterans Issues
One other issue, Jonn – neither VA nor DoD runs airport security. So whatever procedures they propose will have to be vetted and approved by TSA.
Let’s just say that TSA’s track record in the area of airport screening oversight doesn’t exactly give me a “warm and fuzzy” that they’ll implement this one right once DoD and VA come up with something.
She says veterans deserve dignified screening processes that respect their service and sacrifices.
How about dignified screening processes for everyone? How about abolish a useless Agency that does not make us safer and just sucks up taxpayer money to provide more democratic votes?
@2: I think the best way to go about that is point out that the TSA was started under Bush and if they keep this Department around, they are admitting that he was right about something. Layoffs would happen within the hour.
Instead of the TSA changing their procedures, it took a waste of taxpayer money to pass a bill for this? The Congresswoman said “…the law ensures troops can return to life at home as quickly and seamlessly as possible”.
I sorta thought that was already happening.
Please be aware that for Wounded Warriors, TSA already has a program in place to ensure that they and their families receive TSA Pre Check expedited screening and an escort from the ticketing counter, through the checkpoint, and to and/or from the gate. Contact info is 888-262-2396, and msijsoc@dhs.gov.
Wow, Let me recall:
Bosnia training 2003: there were 50 of us Nat Guard Soldiers with orders, ID cards and green duffel bags, trying to board and SFO. TSA made us dumb out everything and pretty much strip.
At another Airport while I was on orders flying back east, I watched TSA guys wonder through the boarding area until they found some troops in uniform…then did a “spot check” for no reason and made them dump out all the carry on bags.
I assume that some TSA folks are useful, but most of the ones I’ve seen act like retards.
The worst time I had with TSA was Election Day 2004 flying to Panama with a Vets4Bush polo shirt. I don’t think there was a hair on my body that wasn’t examined at Reagan National.
Maybe if he was so concerned about vets, he’d actually sign an executive order telling TSA to implement the policy. How often does TSA really bow to DoD or the VA after all?
Next thing you know, he’ll be raising medical fees for Vets, closing medical programs, and telling Veterans he won’t balance the budget on their backs because they served their country and paid their dues.
“…I wouldn’t expect much in the near future…” You can say that again! The bill requires a report back to Congress not later than one year from its enactment date. The report is on the protocol trainingg and other crap, NOT implementation. When you factor in the regs that will be written, published, hearings whatever, you’re probably looking at 2016 for full implementation. Meanwhile, this bill is very narrowly focused and that’s okay with me EXCEPT that Tulsi “With alogha” Gabbard is ballyhooing this as something for Veterans. Makes for a better read and more traction, I guess. The bill (now law) is for active duty and Veterans who are severely injured or disabled. I hope it works for them. It’s a crying shame that it takes a law to treat our Wounded Warriors decently.