FAST Redress Act, H.R. 4179, was successfully marked up by the full Homeland Security Committee and is one step closer to being brought to the House Floor for a vote and passage. This bill has received favorable reviews from the New York Times (published an article in support on May 15, 2008) and organizations including the National Business Travel Association.

“The support that this legislation has received tells me that the voices of the American people have been heard,” said Rep. Clarke.  “If passed, this bill will end the frustration of countless individuals by creating a single, comprehensive ‘cleared list’ which, once on, will allow people to apply to just one office to have their names cleared throughout the government.”

To date, more than 15,000 people who feel they have been misidentified as suspected terrorist have sought redress from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and voluntarily provided personal information to facilitate travel and prevent further misidentifications and delays.  TSA maintains a “Cleared list” for individuals who have the same or similar name or other identifier as someone on the “No Fly” or “Selectee” lists but have gone through the redress process.  The Cleared list is then shared with airlines for screening purposes but it is not shared within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or with other Federal agencies that use the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). 

This legislation would require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to establish a more effective redress process within the Department, through the Office of Appeals and Redress.  More specifically, this bill would require the Secretary to ensure that a Comprehensive Cleared List is maintained by the Office, furnished to, and used by all Department components that perform screening, and that the same list is furnished to other federal, state, local, and tribal agencies that use the terrorist watch list.

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