California senator pulls bill banning Clear from new airports across state

Democratic State Sen. Josh Newman has withdrawn his bill that would have effectively banned the expedited security screening company Clear from expanding to new airports in California .

The original bill, introduced by Newman earlier this year, would have banned Clear and other third-party security screening companies from California airports unless the companies used their own dedicated security lines — a move that would have required federal approval.

Clear charges customers $189 per year to verify their identity using biometric data and escorts them to the front of TSA checkpoint lines, something Newman described as an “equity issue.”

“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,” Newman said .

“When it comes to making one’s way through airport security, the quality of that experience shouldn’t be contingent on a traveler’s income or willingness to pay,” he told USA Today in April. “And yet, in many of California’s airports, travelers who choose not to participate in the Clear concierge screening service are subject to the indignity of being shunted aside to make way for those who do.”

The bill was later amended to only restrict Clear from expanding to new airports.

However, it faced renewed opposition from the security screening company last month when Newman added an exception allowing airlines to have priority lanes or other services, according to Politico.

“Although the author claims this bill is about equity, as opposed to targeting any specific company, the most recent amendments would exempt other priority lanes and lines — such as those for first-class passengers — without restriction,” Jessica Ng, Clear’s director of state and local public affairs, wrote in a letter to Assembly Transportation Chairwoman Lori Wilson last week.

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Newman told Politico the committee chair planned to vote against the bill following his exception for airline priority lanes.

Clear spokesman Ricardo Quinto said in a statement that the company will “remain committed to operating in California without interruption and will always welcome opportunities to collaborate and have robust discussions with local, state, and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer, easier checkpoint experience.”