The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee advanced several pieces of legislation as part of committee Republicans’ American Security Agenda. Legislation in the markup was introduced by Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03), H.R. 3246, the Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act aims to ensure the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) consistently and correctly enforces regulations pertaining to the screening of breast milk, baby formula, and nursing products.

Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03), author of the legislation said:

“As parents, my wife and I know the stress of traveling with young children. Despite established, clear procedures, families across the United States have faced unnecessary frustration and difficulties when flying. Based on feedback from my constituents, this bill will help provide certainty to parents when traveling with breast milk, baby formula, and nursing products and I look forward to advancing this commonsense solution to the full House of Representatives for consideration.”

“The Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act modernizes DHS by ensuring established protocols are equally enforced while maintaining the safety of travelers,” House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said. “I applaud Congressman Taylor for his leadership on this issue.”

Specifically, H.R. 3246 requires the Comptroller General to review TSA’s implementation of current legislation as well as the effectiveness of the Agency in ensuring screening protocol clarity and screening consistency relating to the screening of formula and breast milk. Finally, the bill requires the Comptroller General to issue recommendations for improving TSA’s overall screening practices for such products.

Background
While formula, breast milk, and juice in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces have been permitted in carry-on luggage by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for years, enforcement of such screening procedures has been inconsistent, causing confusion and headaches for parents across the United States traveling with or without their children.

In order to provide parents with more certainty when traveling, Congress enacted the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Act in 2016.

However, parents traveling with breast milk, baby formula, and nursing products are still receiving inconsistent treatment from TSA when going through airport security. Whether traveling through specific airports not following clearly defined protocol or as a result of individual TSA Agents disregarding official procedures, parents across the nation are left confused and inconvenienced.

After hearing about the issue from constituents attending his Coffee with your Congressman Event, and receiving statements from dozen’s of Collin County parents, Congressman Taylor began researching the issue and appropriate solutions. His legislation will provide parents the certainty needed when traveling with critical supplies for their children.

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