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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) jointly issued a final rule that outlines various requirements and applicability to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. This rule is the result of a mandate in the “Maritime Transportation Security Act” (MTSA). The credential is included within the same area of regulations as the hazardous materials endorsement background investigation, 49 CFR Part 1572.
The final rule lays out the enrollment process, disqualifying crimes, usage procedures, fees, and other requirements for workers, port owners, and operators. Port employees, longshoreman, mariners, truckers, and others who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports and vessels would be required to be vetted under the TWIC program.
Security threat assessment. TWIC applicants will undergo a comprehensive background check that looks at criminal history records, terrorist watch lists, immigration status, and outstanding wants and warrants.
Many parties are concerned with the privacy of the information collected from and obtained on TWIC applicants. According to TSA, the entire enrollment record (including all fingerprints collected) will be stored in the TSA system, which is protected through role-based entry, encryption, and segmentation to prevent unauthorized use. Employees of a vendor under contract to TSA known as “Trusted Agents” will undergo a TSA security threat assessment prior to collecting biometric and biographic data of TWIC enrollees. All enrollee personal data is deleted from the enrollment center work stations once the applicant completes the process.
Smart card. The credential is a Smart card containing the applicant’s photograph and name, an expiration date, and a serial number.
The reader technology has not been implemented at this time. When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires the installation of readers, it will be issued as a separate TWIC rule on access control.