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TWIC meetings scheduled (5/30)

The Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard have announced the following schedule of public meetings concerning the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, which includes related potential changes to merchant mariner documentation: May 31 (Wednesday) – Newark, New Jersey (Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel, 128 Frontage Road) June 1 (Thursday) – Tampa, Florida (Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Hotel, 2900 Bayport Drive) June 6 (Tuesday) – St. Louis, Missouri (Renaissance St. Louis Hotel Airport, 9801 Natural Bridge Road) June 7 (Wednesday) – Long Beach, California (Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, 111 East Ocean Blvd.) According to a notice in the May 26 Federal Register, the meetings are expected to run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the exception of Long Beach which is planned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The meetings may end early if there are no additional comments or questions. The Department of Homeland Security on May 22 issued a noticed of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for "Consolidation of Merchant Mariner Qualification Credentials" and also issued an NPRM for implementing the TWIC. Links to both notices – in PDF format – appear at the bottom of the Transportation Security Administration’s “TWIC Homepage,” which may be accessed by clicking here You can also go directly to the PDF files by clicking here for the section on mariner documentation, and by clicking here for the section on TWIC implementation. A published summary of the proposed consolidation of mariner credentials from the May 22 Federal Register follows: SUMMARY: The Coast Guard proposes to streamline the existing merchant mariner credentialing process to minimize redundant requirements and simplify the credentialing program. This proposed rule works in tandem with the joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) entitled “Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Implementation in the Maritime Sector; Hazardous Materials Endorsement for a Commercial Driver’s License” published elsewhere in the Federal Register today. It proposes to combine the individual Merchant Mariner’s Document, License, Certificate of Registry, and STCW Endorsement into a single certificate termed the Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), which will be endorsed to reflect a mariner’s qualifications. The Coast Guard also proposes to streamline the application process for the MMC by removing the requirement that all mariners appear at least once at one of 17 Regional Exam Centers (RECs). Instead, the information previously submitted by the applicant at the REC would be submitted to TSA through the TWIC enrollment process and shared with the Coast Guard by TSA. ###