GovTrack’s Bill Summary
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H.R. 3173 (112th): To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to reform the process for the enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal of a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to require, in total, not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center.
- Introduced:
- Oct 12, 2011 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
- Sponsor:
- Rep. Steve Scalise [R-LA1]
- Status:
- Died (Passed House)
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.
- Summary
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No summaries available.
- Text
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Last updated Jun 29, 2012.
6 pages
- Primary Source
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View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
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- Citation
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Library of Congress Summary
The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
6/28/2012--Passed House amended.
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on June 15, 2012.
The summary of that version is repeated here.) Expresses the sense of Congress that:
(1) it is urgent that the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) application process be reformed by the end of 2012,
(2) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) should promulgate final regulations to require the deployment of TWIC readers as soon as practicable to ensure security, and
(3) Port Security Grant Program funds for TWIC projects shall not expire before issuance of the final TWIC reader rule.
Directs the Secretary to reform the process for the enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal of a TWIC to require not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center, except in cases in which there are extenuating circumstances requiring more than one such in-person visit.
House Republican Conference Summary
The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/2/hr3173.
Background
The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program was established to ensure all individuals who require admittance into secure areas of regulated maritime facilities and vessels are properly vetted and do not pose a threat to maritime and supply chain security.
According to House Report 112-523, the current program requires that applicants go to an enrollment center twice during the process of application. This requirement is not mandated by statute, but is rather an attempt by the Department to reflect the credentialing process for other federal civil servants. Furthermore, enrollment centers are sparsely distributed, requiring some workers to drive hundreds of miles round trip for an in-person visit. The Committee believes that this process is overly onerous for these maritime workers, many of whom cannot afford to “take extended periods of time off to go to an enrollment center” twice.
Summary
H.R. 3173 would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to revise the application process to require “not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center except in cases in which there are extenuating circumstances…requiring more than one such in-person visit.”
The bill would also state that the programs should be reformed before the end of 2012 when many workers will have to renew their TWICs.
Cost
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), current law directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to administer the program through fees collected from applicants. Assuming that TSA would revise the fee to reflect the new reforms, CBO estimates that any changes in spending will be insignificant. The change would affect direct spending, therefore PAYGO procedures apply.
House Democratic Caucus Summary
The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
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