If a new bill becomes law, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) who die in the line of duty will receive death benefits just like other federal workers.
The Honoring Civil Servants Killed in the Line of Duty Act has recently passed the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The AFGE-supported bill, H.R. 7376, would increase nontaxable death benefits from $10,000 to $100,000 and funeral benefits from $800 to $8,800. The amount of death benefits has not been adjusted since 1997 while the funeral expense coverage has not changed since 1966.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., also covers TSOs as requested by AFGE.
TSOs and their families deserve to be fairly compensated just like other federal workers if they die in the line of duty.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, for example, TSOs have been on the job even as their lives and health have been at risk. More than 21,000 TSA employees, mostly the screening workforce, have contracted the virus, and 36 have died as of Feb. 2022, despite efforts to control the viral spread at checkpoints.
TSOs have also been made a target whenever politicians attack airport security for political gain. The murder of TSO Gerardo Hernandez at Los Angeles International Airport in 2013 by an anti-TSA gunman served as a wake-up call and a reminder of the danger TSA officers face whenever they put on that uniform.
Officer Hernandez left behind a wife and two children. He and his fellow TSOs across the country have done their job protecting the American people. They deserve to know they and their families will be protected in return.
A similar bill, S. 3487, has been introduced in the Senate and passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee earlier this year. The Senate version, however, doesn’t explicitly cover TSOs. AFGE will be advocating for the house language. The Senate bill was introduced by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
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