§ 44920 — Screening Partnership Program

(a) An airport operator may submit to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration an application to carry out the screening of passengers and property at the airport under section 44901 by personnel of a qualified private screening company pursuant to a contract entered into with the Transportation Security Administration. (1) Not later than 60 days after the date of receipt of an application submitted by an airport operator under subsection (a), the Administrator shall approve or deny the application. (2) The Administrator shall approve an application submitted by an airport operator under subsection (a) if the Administrator determines that the approval would not compromise security or detrimentally affect the cost-efficiency or the effectiveness of the screening of passengers or property at the airport. (A) If the Administrator denies an application submitted by an airport operator under subsection (a), the Administrator shall provide to the airport operator, not later than 60 days following the date of the denial, a written report that sets forth— (i) the findings that served as the basis for the denial; (ii) the results of any cost or security analysis conducted in considering the application; and (iii) recommendations on how the airport operator can address the reasons for the denial. (B) The Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a copy of any report provided to an airport operator under subparagraph (A). (c) A private screening company is qualified to provide screening services at an airport under this section if the company will only employ individuals to provide such services who meet all the requirements of this chapter applicable to Federal Government personnel who perform screening services at airports under this chapter and will provide compensation and other benefits to such individuals that are not less than the level of compensation and other benefits provided to such Federal Government personnel in accordance with this chapter. (1) The Administrator shall, upon approval of the application, provide the airport operator with a list of qualified private screening companies. (2) The Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, enter into a contract with a private screening company from the list provided under paragraph (1) for the provision of screening at the airport not later than 120 days after the date of approval of an application submitted by the airport operator under subsection (a) if— (A) the level of screening services and protection provided at the airport under the contract will be equal to or greater than the level that would be provided at the airport by Federal Government personnel under this chapter; (B) the private screening company is owned and controlled by a citizen of the United States, to the extent that the Administrator determines that there are private screening companies owned and controlled by such citizens; and (C) the selected qualified private screening company offered contract price is equal to or less than the cost to the Federal Government to provide screening services at the airport. (3) The Administrator may waive the requirement of paragraph (2)(B) for any company that is a United States subsidiary with a parent company that has implemented a foreign ownership, control, or influence mitigation plan that has been approved by the Defense Security Service of the Department of Defense prior to the submission of the application. The Administrator has complete discretion to reject any application from a private screening company to provide screening services at an airport that requires a waiver under this paragraph. (e) The Administrator shall— (1) provide Federal Government supervisors to oversee all screening at each airport at which screening services are provided under this section and provide Federal Government law enforcement officers at the airport pursuant to this chapter; and (2) undertake covert testing and remedial training support for employees of private screening companies providing screening at airports. (f) The Administrator may suspend or terminate, as appropriate, any contract entered into with a private screening company to provide screening services at an airport under this section if the Administrator finds that the company has failed repeatedly to comply with any standard, regulation, directive, order, law, or contract applicable to the hiring or training of personnel to provide such services or to the provision of screening at the airport. (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an operator of an airport shall not be liable for any claims for damages filed in State or Federal court (including a claim for compensatory, punitive, contributory, or indemnity damages) relating to— (1) such airport operator’s decision to submit an application to the Secretary of Homeland Security under subsection (a) or such airport operator’s decision not to submit an application; and (2) any act of negligence, gross negligence, or intentional wrongdoing by— (A) a qualified private screening company or any of its employees in any case in which the qualified private screening company is acting under a contract entered into with the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary’s designee; or (B) employees of the Federal Government providing passenger and property security screening services at the airport. (3) Nothing in this section shall relieve any airport operator from liability for its own acts or omissions related to its security responsibilities, nor except as may be provided by the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 shall it relieve any qualified private screening company or its employees from any liability related to its own acts of negligence, gross negligence, or intentional wrongdoing. (1) an airport operator that has applied and been approved to have security screening services carried out by a qualified private screening company under contract with the Administrator may nominate to the head of the contracting activity an individual to participate in the evaluation of proposals for the award of such contract. (2) Any participation on a proposal evaluation committee under paragraph (1) shall be conducted in accordance with chapter 21 of title 41. (i) The Administrator shall encourage an airport operator to whom screening services are provided under this section to recommend to the Administrator innovative screening approaches and technologies. Upon receipt of any such recommendations, the Administrator shall review and, if appropriate, test, conduct a pilot project, and, if appropriate, deploy such approaches and technologies. (i) In this section, the term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.