A coalition of more than 150 organizations representing supply chain stakeholders on Wednesday urged Congress to pass legislation that would modernize the transportation security screening process.
The Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act, H.R. 5840, introduced by U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Adam Smith (D-WA) would eliminate redundant fees and background checks for transportation workers. Officials with the coalition said the legislation would eliminate waste and inefficiencies in credentialing systems.
In a letter to Congress, the coalition said the legislation would cut through red tape to allow workers to apply existing valid background checks to multiple TSA-managed credentialing programs, like the Transportation Worker Identification Credentials or the Hazardous Materials Endorsements. Eliminating the redundant screenings would codify recommendations made by the Government Accounting Office in 2007. Those recommendations were reaffirmed in 2020 during a Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center security assessment, officials said.
“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,” American Trucking Association (ATA) president and CEO Chris Spear said. “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, especially at the expense of those hardworking men and women who keep our economy running.”
Led by the ATA, the coalition includes Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, Border Trade Alliance, Colorado Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, Institute of Makers of Explosives, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors’ Association, National Association of Chemical Distributors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Ridiculous regulations and red tape have crushed America’s supply chain workers. We need to expedite the time it takes to put an essential worker into our workforce, not requiring people to stand in line for security credentials only to have them get back in line to obtain a redundant background check for another TSA credential,” Graves said. “The supply chain crisis has contributed to higher consumer costs and shortages, and this effort is part of the solution to make sure our transportation workforce is able to work at full speed.”
Officials with the coalition said the legislation would not change the level of security clearance required but would reduce costs and hassles for workers like truck drivers, pipeline operators, longshoremen and warehouse managers, among others.