California wants to crack down on Clear at airports

California wants to crack down on Clear at airports

Clear is a service that allows people to skip security lines at airports with just a biometric scan and $189. Some California lawmakers want to change it in the state, saying it separates travelers into the wealthy and the have-nots.

California lawmakers voted 8-4 to remove a bill from the Senate Transportation Committee that would have created a moratorium on Clear expansion at state airports. The bill needs to be passed by the full California Senate and Assembly and signed by Gavin Newsom to become law.

Clear, a publicly traded security company, allows members to jump to airports, sports, concerts and other venues. For $189 a year, Clear members can verify their identity at an airport kiosk 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 by a Clear employee directly in front of the TSA security line. Skipping the line has created frustration and a sense of injustice among some other travelers who don’t have access or can’t afford the Clear membership price. (The TSA’s PreCheck program, run by a government agency, costs $78 over five years.)

“When it comes to making one’s way through airport security, the quality of that experience should not depend on a traveler’s income or willingness to pay,” Senator Josh Newman, a Democrat who introduced the bill, said in a statement to CNN.

Travelers who don’t register with Clear “are subject to the indignity of being turned aside to make way for those who do,” Newman said. “This is unfair, especially given the fact that it is their tax dollars that fund airport security services in the first place.”

Clear offers expedited service at nine airports in California. About 10% of California travelers are Clear members, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.

Skipping the line is an issue at hand
But California lawmakers don’t want to end the program entirely. It’s more about the pain of seeing someone else skip 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 aims to have Clear and other third-party screening services operate separate lines for members.

This means general passengers will no longer have anyone cutting in front of them, and Clear passengers will still be able to fly through their dedicated security lanes, he said.

It would also prohibit airports from entering into new contracts with private companies like Clear if they use existing TSA security lines and screens.

The bill has the support of the Association of Flight Attendants and the California branch of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA agents.

But Clear, and major airlines like Delta, California airports and business groups like the California Chamber of Commerce oppose the bill.

Clear did not comment directly on the bill to CNN. But a Clear spokesman said the company has created hundreds of jobs in the state, served nearly 1 million Californians and contributed more than $13 million in revenue to the state’s airports. Airports get paid from leasing space to Clear.

“We are constantly working with our airline and airport partners as well as local, state and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer and easier screening 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 replace it from other customers, such as car rental companies, concessionaires or airlines.

It also may be difficult for airports or Clear to get TSA-specific security lines and screeners, the analysis found, since TSA is a federal agency and outside of state jurisdiction. Increasing TSA staffing requires congressional approval.

But Clear “may have little ability to persuade Congress on this,” the analysis found, pushing the company to support additional funding for TSA lanes and agents.