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Safety of travelers is a ‘top priority’ for Nelson with the introduction of Senate Bill 1550

Safety of travelers is a ‘top priority’ for Nelson with the introduction of Senate Bill 1550_60f1e56323ede.jpeg

With pandemic restrictions being lifted as more individuals are getting vaccinated, travel is on the rise once again. 

A new bill was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk in an effort to keep travelers safe. 

Sen. Jane Nelson, a sponsor for SB 1550, publicly backed the bill from her Twitter on May 30.

“Representing @DFWAirport, the safety of our travelers is my top priority! We sent SB 1550 to @GovAbbott, allowing the airport board to commission peace officers with the same authority of cities and counties,” she said. 

SB 1550 relates “to airport police forces, including the authority to commission peace officers and the rights, privileges, and duties of those officers.”

After COVID-19 left traveling numbers low, they began to pick up again over Memorial Day weekend. 

Over the recent holiday weekend, the TSA had screened at least two million travelers, which is higher than last year but still lower than 2019.

Despite things starting to go back to normal, some controversy remains. Airplane passengers are still expected to wear their masks aboard an aircraft, leaving some angry. 

The FAA reported that air rage incidents have been on the rise just as the COVID-19 pandemic gradually loosens its grip on the U.S.

“States, municipalities and counties are starting to lift mandates on masks and where people can go in and out of. And that isn’t the case on airplanes,” communication and behavior expert Eric Bailey said in a statement to News 4 Tucson. “All of the sudden we start reacting and doing things like grabbing hold of a flight attendant’s arm or hitting someone. Or screaming or yelling, which is not going to be productive to what we actually want to do which is go on vacation,” he said. 

If the bill is passed by Abbott, it will allow the DFW airport to have its own police force, given the proper training, preventing rage incidents in the future. 

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