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Clear is a service that lets people skip security lines at airports for nothing but a biometric scan and $189. Some California lawmakers want to change it in the state, saying it separates travelers between rich and poor.
California lawmakers voted 8-4 to move a bill out of the Senate Transportation Committee that would ban CLEAR’s expansion at the state’s airports. The bill must be approved by the full California Senate and Assembly and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to become law.
Clear, a publicly traded security company, lets members skip lines at airports, sporting events, concerts and other venues. For $189 per year, Clear members can verify their identity at airport kiosks using their biometric data, such as a face scan or fingerprint, without having to show their ID to a Transportation Security Administration agent. Once the traveler’s identity is verified, the traveler is escorted right past the TSA security line by a clearance employee.
Line-skipping has created a sense of frustration and unfairness among some other passengers who do not have access to Clear membership or cannot afford it. (TSA’s PreCheck program, which is run by the government agency, costs $78 over five years.)
Senator Josh Newman, the Democrat who introduced the bill, said in a statement to CNN, “When it comes to making your way through airport security, the quality of that experience is not dependent on the traveler’s income or willingness to pay. Should be.” ,
Passengers who are not enrolled in CLEAR are “subject to the indignity of being separated to make way for those who are not,” Newman said. “This is inequitable, especially in light of the fact that it is their tax dollars that fund airport security services in the first place.”
Clear offers expedited service to nine airports in California. According to a legislative analysis of the bill, about 10% of California travelers are CLEAR members.
Line skipping is the problem
But California lawmakers don’t want to end the program entirely. It’s more about the pain of watching someone else leave the line.
The bill, which appears to be the first in the United States, would not block CLEAR at California airports, Newman said. Instead, it seeks Clear and other third-party screening services to operate separate lines for members.
This, he said, would mean that there would no longer be anyone cutting in front of normal passengers and that passenger passengers would still be able to fly through their dedicated security lane.
It would also prevent airports from entering into new contracts with private companies like Clear if they use existing TSA security lines and screeners.
The bill is supported by the Association of Flight Attendants and the California branch of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA agents.
But major airlines like Clear, Delta, California airports, and trade groups like the California Chamber of Commerce oppose the bill.
Cleary did not comment directly on the bill to CNN. But a spokesperson for Clear said the company has created hundreds of jobs in the state, serves nearly 1 million California residents and contributes more than $13 million in revenue to the state’s airports. Airports earn fees from leasing space for clearing.
“We are always working with our airline and airport partners, as well as local, state and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safe, smooth checkpoint experience,” the spokesperson said.
A legislative analysis of the bill conducted by the California Senate Transportation Committee said that if airports lost revenue from CLEAR, they would recoup it from other customers, such as car rental companies, concessionaires or airlines.
The analysis found that getting dedicated TSA security lines and screeners into airports or clearing may also be difficult, because the TSA is a federal agency and exceeds state authority. Increasing TSA staffing requires congressional approval.
But Clear “may have some ability to persuade Congress on this,” the analysis found, prompting the company to advocate for additional funding for TSA lanes and agents.
