DHS issues range of traveler screening rules

The Homeland Security Department on Thursday announced several regulations related to screening airline and ship passengers, including one for the controversial Secure Flight program.

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.