Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 1140, the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act.

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Thompson for his work on this important bill to help get our Transportation Security officers, or TSOs, onto the General Schedule scale and give them needed workplace protections that other Federal workers receive.

Every week, other Members of Congress and I see the vital role Transportation Security officers perform in keeping our country safe. They are essential to national security.

Unfortunately, there is a serious employee recruitment and retention problem at the Transportation Security Administration.

In 2017, the TSA spent $75 million just on recruitment, hiring, and training costs. Over 1,900 TSOs quit that year, at a cost of $16 million to the taxpayer.

Putting these employees on the GS scale will help with these retention issues.

Additionally, Congress needs to ensure we recruit the most qualified individuals to combat terrorism and keep travelers safe. In order to do that, we need to know how the TSA is recruiting top candidates, including military veterans.

My amendment requires a GAO study on how the TSA recruits workers and, specifically, TSA's efforts to recruit veterans and military spouses.

In San Diego, where we have the third largest veteran population in the country, we often see vets continuing to serve their country through Federal employment. Security jobs like those in the TSA demand a competency often found in military veterans. Hiring vets is an asset to the TSA, but we have heard from TSOs in my district that job dissatisfaction prompts many of them to leave the TSA in favor of working elsewhere.

The GAO study I am proposing will also provide recommendations for improvement, enabling the TSA to continue cultivating a workforce that complements the goals of the agency and responsibly spends our tax dollars.

Many Members of this Chamber, on both sides of the aisle, have stood on this floor and championed the cause of hiring vets and military spouses. It is a policy that we have incentivized private corporations to implement, and we have criticized employers for not doing or doing improperly.

Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues support this amendment so that we can ensure TSA is effectively recruiting the most qualified candidates and spending our taxpayer dollars wisely.

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), my colleague and the chair of the committee.

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) not opposing this particular amendment, understanding his reservations about the underlying bill.

I think what we are trying to do in good faith is to address some of the issues that he has raised about what some of the best procedures are to pursue going forward.

Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues for their support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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