TWIC rollout set for Oregon, Texas, Hawaii ports

TWIC rollout set for Oregon, Texas, Hawaii ports The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday said workers at four ports in Oregon, Texas and Hawaii will be able to enroll in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program in the third and four weeks of January.
   Dates for start of TWIC enrollment at the ports will be:
   ' Texas Port of Victoria on Jan. 16.
   ' The port of Portland, Ore., and Kahului on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Jan. 17.
   ' The port of Kauai, Hawaii, Jan. 25.
   The TWIC program, established by Congress in 2002 through the Maritime Transportation Security Act, requires workers seeking unescorted entry into the ports to apply for the federal credential, receive a thorough federal background check, be cleared by DHS and display a federally issued TWIC card when entering port facilities.
   The DHS, through the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard, announced the implementation of the TWIC program in January 2007. More than 40 ports have already begun enrollment under the DHS schedule, which will see all 105 ports included in the program begin enrollment by September.
   Under DHS rules, local officials have 90 days from the start of the announced TWIC enrollment date to implement the credential as an access control device at their respective facilities. If the DHS continues as planned, all of the covered ports will be using the TWIC card as an access control by the end of this year.