About the bill
H.R. 4581 directs the DHS Secretary to develop best practices for utilizing Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for counterterrorism screening and vetting operations, and to make such practices available to certain foreign partners.
Advance passenger information (API), or biographic information about a traveler, and passenger name record (PNR) data, or data about a traveler’s reservation and itinerary, are valuable tools used for screening and vetting potential criminals and terrorists. DHS, especially CBP and TSA, utilize these data sets to confirm the identities and travel patterns of travelers before they are able to enter the U.S. Many of our allies, however, do not have the capabilities needed to utilize this sort of advanced data for screening and vetting purposes.
Sponsor and status
Brian Fitzpatrick
Sponsor. Representative for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district. Republican.
115th Congress (2017–2019)
This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on January 9, 2018 but was never passed by the Senate.
Although this bill was not enacted, its provisions could have become law by being included in another bill. It is common for legislative text to be introduced concurrently in multiple bills (called companion bills), re-introduced in subsequent sessions of Congress in new bills, or added to larger bills (sometimes called omnibus bills).
9 Cosponsors (6 Republicans, 3 Democrats)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“Fitzpatricks amped-up travel screening, vetting bill passes House”
—
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick [R-PA1]
(Sponsor)
on Jan 12, 2018
“THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - Marianas Daughter now Colonel”
—
Rep. Gregorio Sablan [D-MP]
on Jan 12, 2018
“House Passes Series of Bills to Combat Terrorism”
—
Rep. Scott Tipton [R-CO3, 2011-2020]
on Jan 11, 2018
History
H.R. 4581 (115th) was a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number H.R. 4581. This is the one from the 115th Congress.
This bill was introduced in the 115th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2017 to Jan 3, 2019. Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
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“H.R. 4581 — 115th Congress: Screening and Vetting Passenger Exchange Act of 2017.” www.GovTrack.us. 2017. August 15, 2022 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4581>
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