House Passes Taylor Legislation

Press Release

Today, bipartisan legislation introduced by United States Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03) to provide more certainty to parents traveling with baby supplies such as breast milk and formula was passed by the United States House of Representatives.

Earlier this year, after hearing from constituents at his Coffee with your Congressman Event, Congressman Van Taylor introduced H.R. 3246, the Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act to ensure the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) consistently and correctly enforces regulations pertaining to the screening of breast milk, baby formula, and nursing products.

H.R. 3246 was brought before the House of Representatives for consideration on Thursday, September 26, 2019 where it passed by unanimous consent.
Following passage of his legislation, Congressman Taylor said, "After listening to a concerned mother at my Community Coffee public forum in June, I was eager to provide certainty to parents when traveling with breast milk, baby formula, and nursing products. Despite established, clear procedures, families across the United States have faced unnecessary frustration and difficulties when flying." He went on, "I applaud House passage of this commonsense legislation and thank Congresswoman Rice, Ranking Member Rogers, Chairman Thompson, and Senator McSally for their bipartisan support and efforts to help provide certainty regarding TSA regulations to families traveling with children."

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.

H.R. 3246, the Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act has broad bipartisan support and has been endorsed by March of Dimes, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"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 (AL-03) said. "I applaud Congressman Taylor for his leadership on this issue."

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 dozens 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.

Source