On Wednesday, December 12, 2012, the House is scheduled to consider, S. 3542, the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012, under a suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for approval.  The bill was introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on September 13, 2012, and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  The bill was approved in the Senate, with amendment, by unanimous consent on November 29, 2012.

S. 3542 would allow the Assistant Secretary of Transportation Security Administration to determine whether passengers entering the United States from “pre-clearance” international airports are required to have their checked baggage re-screened before continuing on to additional flight segments.

This bill includes minor technical differences but is identical in substance to H.R. 6028, which passed the House under a suspension of the rules by voice vote on September 11, 2012.

The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has designated 14 international airports as “pre-clearance” airports having comparable security standards as those of the US.  Passengers entering from those pre-clearance airports do not have to go through security again upon entering the United States. 

There was no Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate available for this legislation.