California bill to restrict CLEAR at airports passes first legislative hurdle

A California bill that would target the airport security screening company CLEAR passed its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday, though it was watered down amid steep industry opposition to avoid effectively placing a ban on the company.

The proposal , which passed the state Senate Transportation Committee 8-4, would now restrict CLEAR from expanding to new airports — rather than prohibiting the company and other third-party airport security screening vendors from operating as previously intended — until they get their own dedicated security lane.

The bill still has to clear the full Senate and Assembly before heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The bill author, Sen. Josh Newman, said he took the amendments begrudgingly in order to move the bill forward.

Sen. Monique Limón, who voted for the bill, said it has generated a nuanced conversation.

“While there’s been a lot of giggling and laughing about the bill, there’s really true policy intent here that goes beyond someone cutting in line,” Limón said.

The measure has labor union support from flight attendants and TSA agents, while several major airlines, the California Airports Council and business interests have lined up against it. Sen. Bill Dodd, a Democrat from Napa, went from not voting to a dissenting vote, accusing the bill’s supporters of “fear-mongering on safety issues.”

“This thing is starting to annoy me,” Dodd said. “TSA is the one that makes the decisions. It’s annoying to me that here we are trying to get in the middle of that relationship.”