The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation today is conducting a hearing on the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) system. The SIU and other maritime unions – the MM&P, MEBA, ILA, ILWU, AMO, SUP and MFOW – are submitting joint testimony.The testimony, submitted by Mike Rodriguez of the MM&P on behalf of the aforementioned unions, reads in part, “All the maritime unions have a vital interest in, and an unwavering commitment to, the enhancement of America’s maritime security. We want an effective and realistic system for controlling access to facilities and vessels because our members are on the front lines. The members of our respective organizations will almost certainly be among the first American citizens directly affected, injured and killed in the event of such an incident or breach of maritime security. Therefore, we desire to be regarded by our government as an ally here at home, in the same way that we sail and work in support of our armed forces overseas in the war against terror.
“At the same time, we have another obligation to our nation: to safely and economically move America’s foreign and domestic commerce. We strongly believe strengthening maritime security and facilitating the movement of cargo to strengthen our economic security are not mutually exclusive goals and objectives. Rather, we can achieve both goals provided the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) understands that a poorly designed and implemented program will unnecessarily burden our industry and seriously diminish our ability to do our jobs without providing any real maritime security benefits to our nation.”
The unions also reiterate their call to combine the TWIC with the existing merchant mariner credential, also called an MMD or a z-card. “Currently, when an individual submits an application to the Coast Guard for evaluation for an MMD, he must include a copy of proof of citizenship and establish proof that he has a Social Security Number,” the unions point out. “The individual must further undergo a drug test, and is also fingerprinted so that the Federal Bureau of Investigation can perform the necessary criminal background checks. Finally, the individual must agree to a check of the National Driver Register so the Coast Guard can determine if there are any offenses relating to the operation of a motor vehicle which may render the individual unsuited for the duties and responsibilities associated with shipboard employment.
“We believe that the merchant mariner document (MMD) that is currently issued to seafaring personnel should be updated in order to comply with the requirements of the MTSA in order to allow the MMD to serve as a TWIC for all merchant mariners, licensed and unlicensed. We believe that the MMD can and should be upgraded to include the biometric identifier standards of the TWIC and that a combined MMD/TWIC should be issued after the requirements of both statutes are met. Doing so, and giving the Coast Guard exclusive jurisdiction to provide the requisite background checks, will eliminate the need for two or more Federal agencies to perform separate background checks; will eliminate redundancies in the vetting process; will streamline the credentialing process for mariners; and will eliminate the need for mariners to carry more than one Federal identification credential for maritime employment.”
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