404-0. Not a bad score for a rookie. That was the final vote Tuesday on freshman Minnesota Republican Chip Cravaack's bill to lighten the security load on military personnel flying on civilian airliners. Cravaack, a former Navy pilot, offered up the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, which the U.S. House passed unanimously. It was his first stand-alone bill as a member of Congress to win passage. "With all the contention and political gridlock we've witnessed over the past several months, what's most important is that we come together to agree where we can," Cravaack said in a statement. "In respect to our men and women in uniform and in the best interest of our national security, this bi-partisan initiative is the least we could do for our military personnel and their families traveling our nation's airports while serving our country." Cravaack called on the Senate to pass similar legislation. But therein lies the rub. There is no companion bill in the Senate, leaving open whether his bill, H.R. 1801, is anything more than a patriotic exercise. In substance, the bill would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a separate screening process to hasten the travel of military personnel flying on civilian aircraft. Aides say it was inspired when Cravaack saw a combat soldier forced to take off his boots at an airport. "It's undignified," Cravaack said in an interview. What about military personnel like Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter? Cravaack says the military now has better ways to identify potential threats like Hasan. And besides, "Going through expedited security does not mean there's no security." Perhaps more consequential, Cravaack's office says, the legislation represents the movement toward risk-based and intelligence-driven security, rather than the current "one-size-fits-all" screening program.