A bipartisan pair of California lawmakers want to do away with the obnoxious CLEAR line-cutting racket that lets the wealthy buy their way to the front, reports Politico.
As Democratic Senator Josh Newman explains of his proposal to ban CLEAR from California airports, "The least you can expect when you have to go through the security line at the airport is that you don't suffer the indignity of somebody pushing you out of the way to let the rich person pass you," His Republican colleague Janet Nguyen echoes the sentiment, saying "It becomes a haves vs. have nots where those who can afford it jump in front of the rest of us. They even cut in front of TSA Pre-boarding pass travelers who have been screened by the TSA."
The bill would require CLEAR and similar vendors to get their own dedicated security lanes, or risk losing the ability to operate in California airports. While union groups support the effort to "restore equal access," airlines and industry groups have lined up against the measure, citing potential revenue losses and higher airfares.
As AFGE Local 1230 president James Mudrock put it, CLEAR is "nothing more than the luxury resale of upcharge of space in the airport security queue, where those who pay can skip the line at the direct expense of every other traveler."
Previously: TSA officer gives invasive pat-down to man in skin-tight shorts
