Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank our chairman for bringing this bill and his leadership on this issue.

I have the honor of representing Nevada's First Congressional District in the heart of Las Vegas. Every week, as I travel to and from Las Vegas through McCarran International Airport--just like more than 50 million travelers do each year--I see our TSA employees very hard at work screening passengers, baggage, and cargo. They play a critical role in allowing Las Vegas to be a truly international city with an economy that thrives on tourism and visitors who come to work, hike, and play.

More broadly, Transportation Security officers have the immense responsibility of making sure passengers from all over the world, on hundreds of flights a day, make it safely to their destinations, wherever they may be. Yet, Federal law prohibits them from collectively bargaining for better pay, better benefits, and better working conditions. This shortcoming has led to a high level of turnover at TSA which threatens our security.

It is time for that to change. That is why I strongly support this long overdue piece of legislation that will improve TSA agents' pay and boost their collective bargaining power, not to mention their morale.

So let's come together today to give them the rights that other Federal employees have and that they so rightly deserve. Let's respect them and give them this privilege so they can do what they do and keep us all safe. It is the least we can do to recognize that sacrifice.

Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it.

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