Description:
S. 316 would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a 180‑day pilot program to conduct temperature checks for passengers, crew members, and other people who pass through security checkpoints at airports. Anyone with a fever would be subject to secondary medical screening for COVID-19. Passengers with a fever who do not pass the secondary screening would be prohibited from flying but would be allowed to reschedule or to receive a voucher or a refund. Employees with a fever who do not pass the secondary screening would be prohibited from entering airport areas beyond the checkpoint and would be covered by their employer’s current leave policies. Finally, the bill would require TSA to alert passengers to the program and to report to the Congress on the program’s implementation. CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted by the end of calendar year 2021. Using information from TSA about similar programs, and assuming that the pilot program would be conducted at one large, one medium, and one small airport, CBO estimates that it would cost $18 million to implement S. 316; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Of that amount, about $12 million would be for personnel, with the remainder for equipment (such as thermal cameras), site setup, administration, and reporting. Because the pilot program would only run for 180 days, CBO expects that most of the outlays would occur in 2022. S. 316 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (URMA). CBO estimates that the aggregate cost would not exceed the thresholds established in UMRA ($85 million for intergovernmental and $170 million for private-sector mandates in 2021, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).
