Sponsors (27)
The bill improves hygiene, consistency, and accountability for screening of infants' milk and liquids—benefiting parents and checkpoint staff—at the cost of modest government training/administrative expenses, possible minor delays at checkpoints, and some risk of increased denials or inconvenience for caregivers.
Parents and caregivers will have clearer, standardized hygienic procedures for re-screening breast milk, infant formula, and infant water, reducing the risk of contamination during travel.
TSA officers and contracted screeners will receive standardized guidance on handling infants' food and liquids, reducing inconsistent handling and potential contamination by checkpoint personnel.
Parents, policymakers, and the public will get independent DHS Inspector General audits reporting on screening-technology impacts and denial rates, improving accountability and enabling evidence-based policy or operational changes.
Parents and caregivers may face inconvenience or loss of infant supplies during travel if the guidance results in stricter or unclear criteria that lead to items being denied entry to sterile areas.
Passengers and checkpoint staff may experience marginally slower screening operations if additional hygienic re-screening steps add time at checkpoints.
Taxpayers and TSA/contractors will incur administrative and training costs to develop, implement, and update the guidance every five years.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires TSA to issue hygiene guidance within 90 days for re‑screening of breast milk, formula, infant water/juice, and cooling accessories and for DHS OIG to audit compliance within one year.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Eric Swalwell · Last progress January 28, 2025
Requires the TSA Administrator to issue hygiene guidance within 90 days for re-screening and additional screening of breast milk, baby formula, purified/deionized infant water, juice, and cooling accessories to minimize contamination risk, and to update that guidance about every five years as needed. The guidance must be developed with nationally recognized maternal health organizations, set hygienic standards, and ensure additional testing follows those standards for TSA staff and private security contractors. Also requires the DHS Office of Inspector General to deliver an audit report to certain congressional committees within one year on compliance with the guidance (and related provisions), including how screening technologies affect these items and how often such items are denied entry to the sterile area.