Congress passed and sent to the White House the No-Hassle
Flying Act of 2012 (S. 3542), a bill introduced in September aimed at
eliminating some duplicative security screening for connecting baggage at U.S.
airports.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill, which has
broad bipartisan and industry support.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Tourism Caucus co-chairs Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), gives the Transportation Security
Administration the discretion to waive the rescreening of through-checked
baggage arriving from pre-clearance airports in Canada, Ireland and the
Caribbean.
Under current law, checked baggage on inbound international
flights must be rescreened before being placed on connecting flights in the
U.S., even if the baggage was already screened at the pre-clearance airport.
Klobuchar said in a statement, "This commonsense
legislation marks an important step in helping the TSA ensure the security of
luggage more efficiently and effectively while reducing delays for
passengers."
The House version of the bill was sponsored by outgoing Rep.
Joe Walsh (R-Ill.).
This report originally appeared in Travel Weekly.