U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined her Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to standardize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance Process, which is used by transportation workers nationwide. The applicants often have to apply for more than one security clearance program using the same background check paperwork and fees.
“Truckers and other transportation professionals often need a variety of security certifications to do their job. However, maintaining so many different credentials takes time, money, and can be complicated. To ease that burden, our bill will streamline the TSA’s certification process without sacrificing security,” said Senator Fischer.
The bill has been endorsed by the American Trucking Associations, National Propane Gas Association, Transportation Trades Department, Border Trade Alliance, National Tank Truck Carriers, Association of the American Railroads, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, and National Energy and Fuels Institute.
“Subjecting essential supply chain workers to the same exact background check multiple times in order to receive different credentials from the same agency does nothing to enhance security. This system only serves to pad government coffers by forcing truckers and other transportation workers to pay duplicative fees for a background check they’ve already cleared. Congress should not allow the inefficiencies of government bureaucracy to impede the efficiency of our supply chain. We applaud Senators Wicker, Tester, Fischer, and King for introducing this commonsense, bipartisan bill to support the hardworking men and women who keep our economy running,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear.
In addition to Senator Fischer, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Background:
Current TSA policies require separate applications for required credentials like the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and Hazardous Materials Endorsements (HME), even though TSA conducts a Security Threat Assessment (STA) for each program — making applicants who have already enrolled and paid for a credential to do so again for another credential accruing a duplicative cost.
This legislation would standardize the process so applicants can enroll at a TSA enrollment center once and use it for multiple credentials. These reforms do not make any modifications to the backend security assessment conducted on individual applicants.
The full text of the legislation can be found here.