Aircraft and Airports

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details about the impact on other Tennessee airports beyond Nashville International Airport.

Commercial Airports and Private Security Screening

This bill prohibits Tennessee's commercial airports from allowing private companies to use standard or TSA PreCheck security lanes for expedited screening unless those companies have their own dedicated lanes.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits public airports that provide commercial services from entering into agreements with private third-party vendors to use standard or TSA PreCheck security lanes for expedited screening.
• Allows an exception if a 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 provide commercial services
• Private companies offering expedited security screening

Terms To Know

TSA PreCheck

A program by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that allows travelers to go through a faster and less intrusive security screening process.

Private third-party vendor

A company that provides services, like expedited security screening, at airports but is not owned or operated by the airport itself.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what will happen if Nashville International Airport's contract with CLEAR (a private third-party vendor) ends.
• It is unclear how many other Tennessee airports besides Nashville International are affected by this legislation.

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1211
By Keisling

SENATE BILL 483
By Bowling

SB0483
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.