The Week Ahead in Aviation: House Committee to Examine DHS Use of Biometrics
January 31, 2020
Next week will be relatively light on the aviation front in Washington with the Senate impeachment trial potentially extending into February and President Trump delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on DHS's use of facial recognition and other forms of biometrics on Thursday. John Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner at the CBP Office of Field Operations, will testify alongside officials from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
House Democrats Propose PFC Increase
As we reported previously, House Democrats this week rolled out a broad infrastructure plan that calls for raising the federal cap on local PFCs to an unspecified amount and indexing it for inflation. The framework also proposes a new "Airport and Airway Investment Program" to help accelerate NextGen and fund certain airport projects. There is more information on the infrastructure framework in our Airport Alert.
At a press conference with Democratic leaders to unveil the framework, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) discussed the need for a PFC increase and how it helps increase competition and lead to lower fares. DeFazio highlighted how the airlines increase bag fees while opposing a modest PFC increase - which he called a "bunch of B.S." The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing later in the day to discuss changes to bond programs and other options that could help address the nation's infrastructure investment gap and benefit airports.
"The call from Chairman DeFazio and House Democrats to update the antiquated PFC cap is exactly what's needed to spur investments in terminals and other critical airport facilities," AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli said this week. "The entirely predictable airline opposition that will surely follow should do nothing to slow the House and Senate from quickly turning these 'principles' into public law."
Additionally, AAAE, ACI-NA and ACC sent a letter to Chairman DeFazio voicing support for his proposal to raise the PFC cap and index it for inflation.
Additional Updates This Week
- The House Homeland Security Committee this week approved the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2019 (H.R. 1140), which would give TSA screening personnel full collective bargaining rights and place them under the same Title 5 personnel management system as most other federal employees.
- AAAE and other aviation and travel groups signed onto an open letter urging quick action to ensure Americans are prepared for the Oct. 1 REAL ID compliance deadline and outlining steps that DHS, travelers, states and the aviation industry can take to help. Read the open letter on Medium.
Please contact Adam if you have any questions or would like additional information. Have a great weekend.
