Aircraft and Airports

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on the financial impact or consequences if an airport cannot secure dedicated lanes for a private company.

Commercial Airports Security Screening Act

This bill prohibits Tennessee's commercial airports from allowing private companies to use regular or PreCheck security lines for faster screening unless those companies get their own dedicated lanes.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits public airports that offer commercial services from entering into agreements with private third-party vendors to allow them to use standard or TSA PreCheck security lanes.
• Allows an exception if the private company has obtained dedicated TSA security lanes solely for its use at the airport.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public airports in Tennessee that offer commercial services
• Private companies providing expedited security screening at these airports

Terms To Know

PreCheck security lane

A special line for passengers who have been approved through a trusted traveler program, allowing them to skip some security checks.

dedicated transportation security administration security lanes

Special lines set aside only for use by certain private companies providing expedited screening services.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if an airport cannot get dedicated lanes for a private company.
• It is unclear how this will affect the revenue of airports like Nashville International Airport that currently have deals with CLEAR, a private security screening company.

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 483
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 1211
By Keisling

HB1211
001861
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 42,
relative to commercial airports.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 42, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a)
(1) A public airport that provides commercial services shall not enter into
or renew an agreement that authorizes a private third-party vendor that provides
expedited security screening to use the standard security lane or the
transportation security administration PreCheck security lane.
(2) For agreements entered into before July 1, 2025, this section applies
upon the expiration of the existing agreement.
(b) This section does not apply to an agreement between a public airport and a
private third-party vendor if the private third-party vendor has obtained dedicated
transportation security administration security lanes solely for use by the private third-
party vendor at that public airport.
(c) For purposes of this section, an airline, as certified under Title 14 of the Code
of Federal Regulations Part 121, is not a private third-party vendor. This section does
not apply to any services, including priority lanes or lines, offered by an airline solely for
use by the airline's passengers, without a separate charge to a passenger by a private
third-party vendor.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.