TSA Screening Transparency and Accountability Act

TSA Screening Transparency and Accountability Act

This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), consistent with the General Accountability Office's November 2015 report on the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), to update its cost estimating methodology for federal cost estimates and cost comparisons to conform to certain minimum leading cost estimating best practices, including by:

• incorporating a cost estimate that reflects the total cost to the federal government, including costs incurred by federal agencies other than TSA;
• ensuring all TSA cost estimates are adjusted for inflation over the duration of the contract;
• updating all cost estimates when circumstances at a SPP airport result in a significant change to a contract's value;
• including an analysis that identifies which variables have the greatest effect on cost estimates; and
• reflecting the inherent uncertainty associated with the cost estimate and identifying the elements of the estimate that present the most risk.

TSA shall make the update available to the public.

TSA shall develop a streamlined method and standard protocol for documenting, tracking, and resolving customer complaints for both federal and SPP airport checkpoints.

TSA shall make available to airport directors, managers, and other individuals in similar positions cleared to handle sensitive security information an assessment of each airport's security screening performance compared to the mean average performance for all equivalent airports.