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TWIC update (4/3)

The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security has issued the following news release, which also is available on the committee’s web site by clicking HERE House Homeland and DHS Partner to Enhance TWIC Program FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 02, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials including U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Commandant Admiral Thad Allen and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Chief of Staff Art Macias met this afternoon with Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), House Homeland Security Committee, and Chairwoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee, to discuss the enhancements that have been made to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. TSA has surged resources to open additional TWIC enrollment centers near the ports of Baton Rouge, Houston, Los Angeles/Long Beach and New York/New Jersey, accommodating increased demand as the deadline approaches for nationwide enforcement. • Baton Rouge TWIC Activation Center Courtyard by Marriott, Baton Rouge - Siegen Lane 10307 North Mall Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. • Houston Turning Basin TWIC Activation Center 1717 Turning Basin, Suite 480 Houston, TX 77029 Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. • Long Beach/Terminal Island TWIC Activation Center 1126 Queens Highway Long Beach, CA 90802 Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. • Perth Amboy TWIC Activation Center Hilton Hotel, 2nd Floor Conference Room 120 Wood Avenue South Iselin, NJ 08830 Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Additionally, the fixed enrollment center in La Porte, Texas moved to a larger facility and added more enrollment stations to better serve workers at the Port of Houston. Also, 17 additional mobile enrollment sites have been deployed to meet worker demand. Seven of these sites will serve workers in Alaska, four have been deployed to Los Angeles/Long Beach, and one each to Atlanta; Decatur, Ill.; Mobile, Ala.; Houston; Indianapolis; and Seattle. Mobile sites provide workers with enrollment locations convenient to their places of employment. TSA has devoted additional resources in other key areas, including the TWIC Help Desk and enrollment, appeals and waiver process, ensuring workers are quickly assisted. To further facilitate commerce, USCG published an updated policy addressing the remaining five Captain of the Port zones soon to come into compliance, including Guam, Houston/Galveston, Port Arthur, Los Angeles/Long Beach, and San Juan, allowing the use of interim equivalent security measures through May 13, 2009. These measures allow eligible workers to access secure areas once their security threat assessment is completed. Also, facilities may provide escorts for workers in secure areas. Today, 37 of the 42 USCG Captain of the Port zones now have a layer of security – TWIC – in place that did not exist months ago, significantly enhancing security at ports across the nation. At these ports, Coast Guard personnel ensure workers in secure areas have received a thorough background check and do not pose a threat. Workers are able to pre-enroll for a TWIC and check their card status online at www.tsa.gov/twic or the USCG’s Homeport site, http://homeport.uscg.mil. Pre-enrolling speeds up the process, allowing workers to provide biographic information and schedule a time to complete the application process in person. This eliminates waiting at enrollment centers and reduces the time it takes to enroll each individual. # # #