DHS issues range of traveler screening rules

Amid a slew of Federal Register notices during the congressional recess, Homeland Security published a final rule to let the Transportation Security Administration take over the screening of airline passengers against government watch lists.

"Under the program, TSA would receive passenger and certain non-traveler information from aircraft operators, conduct watch-list matching, and transmit watch-list matching results back to aircraft operators," the department said.

The department also moved to create a system of records for Secure Flight and exempt it from parts of the Privacy Act.

Separate notices announced a series of changes to other traveler-screening programs. The department published a system of records for the advanced passenger-information system and a final rule concerning when airplane and ship operators must transmit electronic information on passengers to the government.