CBP and Others Testify Before House Homeland Security Subcommittee During Six Month Review of SAFE Port Act (Part II - Final)

This is Part II, the final partof a series of summaries on the consolidated statements of CBP, Coast Guard, and TSA officials and provides highlights regarding the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program.

(TWIC is being developed by TSA to ensure that all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA)-regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials, possess a biometric TWIC card by September 25, 2008. TWIC will be a tamper-resistant "Smart Card" containing a fingerprint template, among other things.)

Highlights of CBP, Coast Guard, and TSA Consolidated Statements on TWIC

DHS has made significant interim security enhancements. The Department of Homeland Security has gone forward with significant interim security enhancements and actions during TWIC's initial development phase. These actions included (partial list):

The Coast Guard and TSA worked with industry partners to develop an interim process that compares a worker's biographical information against terrorist watch lists and immigration databases.

Facility owners, facility operators and unions submitted worker names, dates of birth, and, as appropriate, alien identification numbers. To date TSA has completed 750,000 name based threat assessments on port workers and longshoreman. This task will be repeated in the summer of 2007 to keep the assessment "fresh." These assessments are interim measures and do not include the criminal history records check or biometric credential that is part of TWIC.

130 TWIC enrollment centers to be established near port facilities. Lockheed Martin, the company awarded the TWIC contract by TSA, will establish approximately 130 enrollment centers near the port facilities where applicants will provide biographic information and fingerprints.

TWIC enrollment will expand throughout U.S. in next 18-24 months. TWIC enrollment will begin initially at select ports based on risk and other factors and will be expanding throughout the U.S. over the next 18 - 24 months.

TWIC card reader requirement still being formulated, interim procedures established. The TWIC final rule did not include a requirement for owners and operators to use card readers. This was done as a response to important public comments received on the TWIC proposed rule and concerns from Congress expressed in the SAFE Port Act.

The card reader requirement is being formulated and coordinated by extensive technical input from industry and the public. In the interim, workers seeking unescorted access to secure areas will present their cards to authorized personnel, who will compare the photo, inspect security features on the card, and evaluate the card for signs of tampering. At facilities with various sophisticated access control systems, the magnetic stripe on the credential could be used to grant or deny access at entry gates.

The Coast Guard will also institute periodic unannounced checks to confirm the identity of the holder of the TWIC. DHS will continue to work closely with all interested parties to address the evolving technology issues.

Initial rollout of TWIC to be focused on maritime mode, deployment to other modes to be evaluated. The initial rollout of TWIC will be focused on the maritime mode. However, once the initial maritime rollout is complete, DHS will evaluate deployment of this program in other modes of transportation.

(See ITT's Online Archives or 05/25/07 news, 07052510, for Part I of BP's summary of the consolidated statements, which highlights issues regarding the Container Security Initiative (CSI), Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), etc.

See ITT's Online Archives or 03/08/07 news, 07030810, for the final part of BP's summary on the TWIC final rule, with links to previous parts.

See ITT's Online Archives or 05/03/07 news, 07050399 1, for BP summary announcing that House members were concerned that TSA would miss the July 1, 2007 deadline to deploy TWIC. BP is checking to see if TWIC deployment is scheduled to meet its deadline and will update readers when new information is available.

See ITT's Online Archives or 05/01/07 news, 07050120, for BP summary of GAO's testimony before Congress that TSA has made progress implementing TWIC, but problems remain.)

Consolidated statements (dated 04/26/07) available at http://homeland.house.gov/SiteDocuments/20070427081129-55763.pdf