Oral Testimony on TWIC by Kip Hawley
BEFORE THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION WORKER IDENTIFICATION CREDENTIAL (TWIC)
October 31, 2007
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member King and members of the subcommittee. I've submitted the testimony for the record and in the spirit of plain talking, which is honored in this committee, I'd like to just address the issues.
I took six issues from the opening statement from both Mr. Thompson and Mr. King that I think are the primary issues that we need to address and I'll just quickly hit them.
On the issue of the number of people who will need TWIC cards, the business model is a pay-as-you-go system, and it allows for it to be scalable up to whatever number that is. So whether it's a million, a million-two, a million-five is not a constraint on the viability of the program. The contract is written that our provider gets paid by the card, so there will be resources to flex to whatever that number is.
The fact that we can't identify an exact number of people who will want a card and who will get one, even though it may not be specifically required of them, is not a constraint on the program.
On the issue of disqualifications, the data point that we have is the HAZMAT [Hazardous Materials] endorsement on the commercial driver's license. It has very similar requirements as the TWIC card, and that has proven not to be a major problem.
Our interest is in finding terrorists and keeping them out of our ports, not denying a card to somebody who had an issue earlier in their career.
We found essentially that of the 730,000 people that have been vetted, less than 100 who have been willing to work with us to resolve the issues have had an issue, which is about one in 10,000.
Our sense is we are not going to have the problem that's projected. We are going to make sure that this program does not become a barrier for good people who are working to be disqualified. Our interest is to get as many people as possible quickly on board.
On the issue of card readers, the SAFE Port Act requires us to do a pilot and then, within two years, issue the final rule on what the card reader requirements are. In terms of us not having card readers out there when we're issuing TWIC cards, that is directly responsive to the law that was just passed by the Congress. I think that the enforcement by the Coast Guard is, in fact, a good security measure that we can elaborate on as we go forward.
As to when [TWIC will happen], we announced for the 147 ports a quarterly roll for when that should be expected. I think the key point is the one that Mr. King made that we do it right, that this is the most advanced biometric system that is flexible, with all employers, all ports.
And if we roll it out too quickly and, therefore, as Mr. Thompson said, tie up commerce in these ports, that would defeat the purpose. Our goal is to roll it out as expeditiously as possible, but with a caveat that we're going to make sure it observes all the privacy requirements, the proper due process, and the security requirements. We're going to make sure it is a success as we go.
As to the issue of the organized crime [interest], I think that's a very good signal that they ought to be worried that the TWIC card is coming, because they are not able to counterfeit it. When the Coast Guard shows up with their handheld biometric readers, they will be caught. I think they should be worried about it.
The TWIC program has gone through an extensive period of preparation and vetting and we've had a lot of criticism that, frankly, has helped the program, both from the inspector general's office, the Congress, and the GAO. They have highlighted the issues with TWIC and we have addressed those issues and now the program is, in fact, up and running and I do not see a barrier why this program should not continue to be a success. I look forward to discussing those issues with the committee.
Thank you, sir.
