The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a U.S. government agency that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. The TSA was originally organized in the U.S. Department of Transportation but was moved to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003. The agency is responsible for security in all modes of transportation.

Aviation Security Responsibilities

The TSA is solely responsible for carrying out screenings of passengers and their baggage (both checked and carry-on) at 450 airports across the country.

Confiscated items are available for sale to the public, if not claimed by their owner.[7] TSA is also working to combat baggage theft in many airports. It is working with local and other federal law enforcement agencies. In Las Vegas, a recent sting operation caught two airport employees stealing weapons.[8]

Transportation Security Officers, or “TSOs”, are Emergency Personnel of the United States Federal Government and operate in a “Mission Critical” capacity for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They are uniformed federal officers with no arrest powers, and do not carry firearms, OC spray or batons. TSOs are given the power of search and seizure due to language within the 4th Amendment. By purchasing an airline ticket, the person whose name appears on the ticket is consenting to the possibility of random searches of his person and items.

Funding

For the United States Government’s fiscal year of 2007 an amount of $4,751,580,000 (4.7 billion) dollars was appropriated for use (specifically for civil aviation security services) by the TSA. This appropriation was proposed in House Resolution 5441[9] and was signed into public law as Public Law 109-295.