Dec. 12--For years the Transportation Security Administration has pocketed the loose change left behind by harried air travelers rushing from security checkpoints to catch a plane.
Northwest Florida's U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller has been trying since 2009 to halt the practice and divert the collected coins to the USO, an organization that sets up airport sanctuaries for traveling service members.
At long last he's seen some success. In early December the House passed Miller's "forgotten change" bill.
"I would rather see unclaimed change go to help military personnel on their way home from the battlefield," Miller said in a news release announcing his victory. "The lost change should be put to good use, and I know that the thousands of coins will have a positive impact on millions of our nation's warriors."
Miller decided in 2009 that if TSA needed extra money -- it collected more than $531,000 in change in 2012 -- it could ask for it.
A Democrat-controlled House paid the proposal no heed. So in 2012 with the GOP in charge and he the Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, Miller tried again.
Still, it took nearly two years to push the bill through the Homeland Security Committee and onto the House floor, where it swiftly gained passage.
"The TSA has been keeping the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters from your change purse to pay for their bloated bureaucracy," Miller said in his news release. "If TSA representatives get to play 'finders keepers' with your hard-earned cash, what's the incentive to try to get the loose change to its rightful owners?"
In fiscal 2009 the TSA collected $399,000 in lost coins. In 2010, when Miller began his "forgotten change" crusade, it was $376,480.39. It added up to $487,000 in 2011.
Miller's bill has been referred to the Senate's Commerce Science and Transportation Committee. Dan McFaul, the congressman's chief of staff, said sponsors are being sought and it is hoped the Senate will consider the legislation early next year.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.
Copyright 2013 - Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
