New House Bill Would Allow Mandatory Renewal of TWICs to be Delayed
On March 15, 2011, Representative Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced H.R. 1105, the “Transitioning with an Improved Credential (TWIC) Program Act.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
According to Thompson press release, transportation workers shouldn’t have to go through the time and expense of renewing their TWICs if DHS doesn’t even have a finalized plan for deployment of the TWIC card readers. H.R. 1105 would address this problem by delaying the renewal of TWICs until DHS issues the final reader rule or December 31, 2014, whichever is earlier. (According to Thompson, current TWICs will begin to expire in 2012.)
1The TWIC program was created to protect the Nation’s maritime transportation facilities and vessels by requiring maritime workers and other workers who need unescorted access to secure port facilities to obtain a biometric identification card.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/24/11 news, 11022440, for BP summary announcing OMB approval of Coast Guard prerule on TWIC card readers.
See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/11/11 news, 11021127, for BP summary of Transportation Security Administration testimony before Congress in which an update on the TWIC card process, etc. was provided.)