TSA, Florida work together on port worker ID program

TSA, Florida work together on port worker ID program    The federal government’s Transportation Security Administration and Florida’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Law Enforcement departments announced they would work together to roll out a new port worker identification system.
   The system, called Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), will provide uniform credentialing for truck drivers, dockworkers and others who require unescorted access to the secure areas of seaports.
   “By having one universally recognized credential, workers will no longer have to carry numerous cards or go through redundant background investigations to enter secure areas at multiple facilities,” said TSA in a statement.
   TSA will provide the infrastructure for the identification system. TWIC will contain a “biometric identifier,” like a fingerprint, to “positively authenticate the identity of the holder,” the agency said.
   “The program provides a high-tech credential that verifies workers’ identities and ties each worker to a background check to ensure that high-risk individuals are denied access to sensitive areas of the nation’s transportation system,” TSA added.
   The partnership between the federal and state agencies was made possible through Florida state legislation passed in 2003.