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Ashleigh Schmitz
Philly.com
December 10, 2013
When asked to empty their pockets at airport security, travelers are quick to oblige placing wallets, cell phones, and spare change in the baskets. In a rush to collect belongings and quickly head to gates for departure, stray coins can be an afterthought for some passengers.
Last year, those afterthoughts totaled $531,395–a substantial increase from the two years prior. In 2011 the TSA collected $488,000, which is up from $409,000 in 2010.
But just where does that hunk of change go? According to the TSA Loose Change Act, “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has authority to retain and spend, without annual appropriation, unclaimed money left at security checkpoints by air passengers for activities related to aviation security.” While the TSA collected over $500,000 in 2012, the agency had only spent $6,539 by the end of the fiscal year.
A new House Resolution, however, aims to re-appropriate the funds and “amend current law to require TSA to transfer unclaimed funds to nonprofit organizations that provide certain travel-related assistance to military personnel and their families.” The House passed the bill on Dec. 3, but according to the literature, only affects money collected after the resolution passes, meaning that last years’ sum is excluded.
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