It's called the "Clothe a Homeless Hero Act." It's sponsored by two federal lawmakers from New York who want to use unclaimed clothing from TSA security checkpoints to clothe veterans in need.
There are about 75,000 veterans across the nation. US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says they're people who bravely served our country but are now falling through the cracks in need of warm clothes and a roof over their head.
With anywhere from 500 to one thousand articles of clothing going unclaimed each day at airport security checkpoints across the nation, Congresswoman Kathy Hochul shared a personal story that gave her the idea of giving these items to homeless vets.
"I left a scarf here a couple of months ago. I went into a back room and literally found hundreds of pieces of unclaimed clothing," Hochul explained. "I asked what happens to the clothing. And every area deals with it differently. So, that was the genesis of this bill -- a common sense approach."
Hochul's bill was approved by the Senate last week and now goes before the House of Representatives. She expects it to pass with bipartisan support.
Once it becomes law, the TSA would coordinate with the Department of Veterans Affairs and local charities to collect the unclaimed clothing for veterans in need.