TSA releases initial TWIC rule

TSA releases initial TWIC rule    The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has finalized its proposed rulemaking for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential for port workers.
   Under strong pressure from Congress following the Dubai Ports World controversy, the Department of Homeland Security has rushed in recent weeks to get the long-delayed program off the ground. Under the new rules, longshoremen, truckers, railroad workers, mariners and others with regular business in the ports will need the new card to gain access. TSA will collect personal information about each worker from employers, as well as their fingerprints, to produce a universal, fraud-protected card that can be used at any port facility around the country to verify a worker’s identity. The TSA will also conduct a criminal history background check on each worker and run the names through immigration and terrorism watch lists to determine whether the individual poses a security risk on the waterfront.
   TSA estimates TWIC will eventually cover more than 750,000 workers, who will pay about $139 for a biometric ID card to fund the program. Workers, such as hazardous material truck drivers, who have recently undergone similar background checks for other security programs will pay about $105 for the card, TSA said.
   Port facility operators will be required to implement TWIC through their existing access control systems or purchase new card readers.
      The proposed rulemaking is expected to be published in the Federal Register next week, but TSA has posted an unofficial version on its Web site at: https://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/1652_AA41NPRMTWIC_FINAL51006.pdf. There will be a 45-day comment period and TSA and the Coast Guard will host four public meetings to solicit public input before a final rule is issued.
   The meetings will take place May 31 in Newark, N.J.; June 1 in Tampa, Fla.; June 6 in St. Louis; and June 7 in Long Beach, Calif.
   The agency also said that it plans to publish a parallel proposal to streamline the current credentialing process for merchant mariners. The new Merchant Mariner Credential would combine elements of the Merchant Mariner’s License, Merchant Mariner’s Document, Certificate of Registry and what is called an STCW Endorsement into one pass.
   Under the new format, merchant mariners would no longer be required to visit a regional exam center to submit fingerprints and identification or to take an oath to obtain or renew their credential.
   The certificate, which is still under development, will also include many fraud protection measures.