ABTA Supports Rrevitalized Registered Traveler Program

Amendment Passes Important Legislative Milestone

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. May 07, 2009

ALEXANDRIA, VA, May 7, 2009 - The National Business Travel Association, the leading association representing the business travel industry, today expressed hopes for a revitalized Registered Traveler (RT) program in the United States in light of the successful introduction of legislative language to enhance RT. The amendment was introduced as part of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee's consideration of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reauthorization bill. During today's consideration of the TSA bill, H.R.2200, in the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, Chairwoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) and Subcommittee Member Daniel Lungren (R-CA) offered a provision to enhance RT's risk management and traveler facilitation potential. Specifically, the amendment, also supported by Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), would require TSA to consider how RT can be integrated into "risk-based aviation security operations," to reinstate security threat assessments and background checks for RT participants, and to review screening protocols "to realize the full potential of the Registered Traveler Program."

In the NBTA 2009 Government Agenda released in January, NBTA had urged, "Building on increased support from Congress and the executive branch, TSA should resume and expand the security threat assessments for RT members to allow for security checkpoint benefits." This recommendation came as part of NBTA's long-standing commitment to RT as an appropriate and cost-effective voluntary security program in a post-9/11 environment.

NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, noted, "With direction from Congress, NBTA is enthusiastic that Registered Traveler will become a true risk-management tool for secure and efficient air travel, especially for frequent business travelers. RT has become popular among NBTA members and the travelers they support, and we are hopeful that RT will not only be appropriately regulated by Congress, but also expanded to additional airports in 2009. Time is money for corporate travelers, and the RT program can make air travel more predictable and convenient. We also continue to urge that TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection should integrate RT with international trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry to make enrollment more convenient for frequent travelers."

NBTA urges the full Homeland Security Committee to keep the RT amendment intact through the markup process and, in turn, passage by the full House.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world's premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates - NBTA Asia Pacific, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA - serve a network of more than 15,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 4,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$200 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 10 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.