Trafficking Survivor Travel Access

Summary#

This bill creates a process to help survivors of human trafficking who do not have government ID get through airport security and take commercial flights. The main change is that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) must put a Trafficking Survivor Point of Contact (TSPoC) at airports and link those staff to the existing TSA Cares program. The bill also requires TSA to waive any identity-verification fee for these travelers.

• Main change: TSA must place a designated TSPoC (a TSA employee in the passenger support specialist role) at each airport where TSA screens passengers, within one year.
• Support and services: TSPoCs must work with nonprofit service providers, help submit TSA Cares requests, explain the vetting process, and accompany survivors through screening and, if requested, to the departure gate.
• Arrival support: If identity verification is completed, a TSPoC at the destination airport must meet the traveler at the gate and hand them to a service provider representative, family member, or designated person.
• Eligibility rules: Service providers must register with TSA at least 30 days before requesting travel assistance and confirm they are assisting someone they reasonably believe to be a trafficking survivor.
• Fees: TSA must waive fees tied to its identity-verification procedure (sometimes called ConfirmID) for these survivors.
• What is unclear: The bill text does not provide a federal cost estimate or detailed implementation plan for staffing, or how the fee waiver will be budgeted.

What it means for you#

• Survivors of human trafficking

  • If you lack government ID, a service provider can request help through TSA Cares; a TSPoC will assist with identity verification and may accompany you through security and to the gate.
  • TSA will waive the fee for the identity-verification procedure.
  • At the arrival airport, a TSPoC may meet you and hand you off to a local service provider or other designated person.

• Service providers (nonprofit groups helping survivors)

  • Must register with TSA at least 30 days before requesting help and provide contact, address, EIN, and confirmation that they are assisting a survivor.
  • Must assess travel needs, arrange or buy the ticket if needed, and arrange a receiving person at the destination.
  • For minors, must follow airline unaccompanied-minor policies, including paying any required airline or TSA fees and ensuring a responsible party meets the child at the gate.

• Airports and TSA staff

  • Each covered airport must have a TSPoC who is a TSA passenger support specialist; these staff will coordinate with service providers and accompany survivors through screening.
  • TSA must publish online information about TSA Cares and TSPoC services and keep it updated.

• Airlines

  • Airlines’ unaccompanied-minor rules still apply; service providers must follow and pay for those services when needed.
  • The bill does not change airline responsibilities beyond coordinating with the TSA process.

• General public / travelers

  • The bill targets a specific group (trafficking survivors without ID); normal screening and ID rules for other travelers do not change.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Possible cost or budget items the bill would likely create (not estimated in the bill text):

• Hiring, designating, or reallocating TSA passenger support specialists at many airports.
• Training time and materials for TSPoCs and ongoing coordination with service providers.
• Web updates and ongoing maintenance to publish TSA Cares and TSPoC information.
• Loss of revenue or additional budget need related to waiving identity-verification (ConfirmID) fees for eligible survivors.
• Administrative and coordination costs for airports and service providers.
• Potential costs to service providers to register, arrange travel, and pay required airline unaccompanied-minor fees.

Proponents' View#

• The bill appears intended to reduce a practical barrier to safety and recovery by helping trafficking survivors who lack ID get on planes and reunite with help.
• It could make travel safer and less stressful for survivors by providing an identified TSA staff member trained to use trauma-informed approaches and to explain the vetting process.
• Requiring coordination between TSA and nonprofit service providers may speed and standardize the process across airports.
• Waiving identity-verification fees removes a direct financial barrier for survivors who cannot pay.

Opponents' View#

• One concern is potential added administrative and staffing costs for TSA and airports; the bill does not estimate these costs or identify funding.
• The requirement that TSPoCs be passenger support specialists could leave gaps at smaller airports where that role is limited or absent.
• The training requirement says TSPoCs must review DHS materials but does not set a minimum training standard, duration, or assessment; this may leave uncertainty about readiness.
• Requiring service providers to register at least 30 days before requesting assistance could delay help for survivors who need urgent travel.
• It is unclear how the fee waiver will be funded and whether other parts of the identity-verification process will face resource limits that slow implementation.