It was reported by the LA Times that a Louisiana senator – Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) – proposed legislation last week that would allow airline passengers to check one bag for free on each flight. The legislation would also guarantee that passengers can bring carry-on bags at no extra charge.

As she put it, and who wouldn’t agree, “Passengers have been nickeled-and-dimed for far too long, and something has to be done about it.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano recently suggested that airlines let passengers check one bag for free to reduce the number of carry-on bags packed into overhead bins. She said carry-on bags slow the screening process and increase the screening cost nationwide by $260 million a year.

Landrieu’s bill has been sent to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for a hearing, but don’t expect to much to come from it as an airline industry spokesperson states, “Obviously we don’t think it’s appropriate for the government to regulate what services a private industry should offer to customers and at what price.”