Bill would streamline transportation security clearance

A bipartisan effort in the House and Senate aims to standardize the Transportation Security Administration Security Clearance process for transportation workers, including truck drivers.

Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Angus King Jr., I-Maine; Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act, or S3959, on Thursday, March 14. The House version, or HR5840, was introduced by Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., in September.

Proponents of the bill have said it aims to streamline the process, noting that it’s currently common for applicants to have to apply for more than one security clearance program using the same background-check paperwork and fees.

“This legislation will cut through the red tape and streamline the process so workers can get back to moving goods across America, not wasting time and money,” Wicker said in a news release.

Current TSA policies often 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.

“Montana’s truckers and transportation workers fuel our economy – and forcing those folks to face expensive and redundant security certifications is a waste of time and money,” Tester said. “Streamlining that process is a no-brainer, plain and simple. Together, we’ll keep working until we get this bipartisan bill across the finish line.”

House version

The House bill also is a bipartisan effort, with 13 Democrat co-sponsors and nine Republican co-sponsors.

Although the bill was introduced last September, it has gained some momentum recently. Reps. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, Mike Bost, R-Ill., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., became co-sponsors in March, while five others signed on in February.

The bill has been endorsed by the American Trucking Associations, National Propane Gas Association, Transportation Trades Department, Border Trade Alliance, National Tank Truck Carriers, Mississippi Trucking Association, Association of the American Railroads, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, and National Energy and Fuels Institute. LL

Related: Feds announce fees changes to hazmat and TWIC programs.