Texas Rep. David Simspon Introduces Anti TSA Groping Bill Once More

For the second time in two years Texas Representative David Simpson introduced a measure to the House State Affairs Committee that would ban TSA employees from intentionally touching travelers’ genital areas. A similar measure failed in 2011 after the federal government threatened to shutdown Texas Airports.

Rep. David Simpson/Texas (Image by Houston Free Thinkers)

by Derrick Broze
Intellihub.com
April 12, 2013
Simpson, of Longview, Texas, testified that air passengers have long complained about the pat down procedures conducted by the Transportation Security Administration. He told the Associated Press, “The problem is this effort at security is really treating travelers, innocent people, as criminal suspects and making them submit to unreasonable, very intrusive searches,” he believes security agents are regularly “violating peoples’ most sacred areas of their bodies”.
As major airports continue to replace metal detectors with the full body scanners  people are choosing to opt out of the radiation, and stored naked images of those machines.  They then are forced to opt in to a full body pat down. Rep. Simpson’s House Bill 80 would make it illegal for any government employee to “intentionally” touch the private areas of a traveler.
The 2011 version of this bill passed  the Texas House and later failed after threats from the federal government that flights in and out of Texas might be stopped should the bill pass.
“A News-Journal open records request to Gov. Rick Perry revealed his office fielded more than 10,000 phone calls, emails and other correspondence, from May 16 to June 20 of 2011 in favor of Simpson’s bill.”
in June 2011 Governor Perry called the bill a priority for a special session he called. After some political games the bill was held off and did not pass. Rep. Simpson has been vocal about the experience since and about his desire to reintroduce the measure.
In the following interview I discuss the details of the bill’s failure and the parts that Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst played.
The current bill has been carefully crafted by Simpson in order to allay his colleagues fears of the federal government. Critics believe the feds will step in once more and issue another  threat. Supporters believe such a move would actually increase tourism to Texas when travelers realize the Lone Star State is also now the Grope Free State.
The TSA has long stepped past the boundaries of the airport. The federal agency now holds checkpoints on highways
(http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/02/29/the-tsa-is-coming-to-a-highway-near-you/), patrols train stations (http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/28/travel/tsa-vipr-passenger-train-searches),  and bus station (http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/tsa-swarms-8000-bus-stations-public-transit-systems-yearly) . It is possible to defeat them and maintain freedom in your city. In Houston the Houston Free Thinkers and the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association came together (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrzWtzE9oqQ&playnext=1&list=PL1Tr4mVOuUaCBurerWXpVNVYTs_gQIsd9&feature=results_main)to fight, and win, against the TSA, DHS, and Houston METRO.
We must support all efforts to oppose the tyrannical reach of the federal government and it’s tentacles such as the TSA. Whether legislatively, or on the community level resistance is necessary. If you are in Texas, or know anyone in Texas please pass this information along to them. Encourage them to help Texas become the first state to stop the TSA groping.
sources: 
^http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/will-simpson-s-pat-down-bill-stay-grounded-in-legislature/article_0be6fe0b-9ddf-5ee4-ab49-531b4707f7cb.html
http://intellihub.com/2013/04/13/texas-rep-david-simspon-introduces-anti-tsa-groping-bill-once-more/