President Joe Biden recently signed into law a bipartisan bill that will streamline the process for individuals applying for or renewing enrollment in multiple security threat assessment (STA) programs, in particular the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) programs.
“Our truckers, supply chains, and American commerce are better off because of this bill. I am glad to see it become law,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who last March sponsored the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act of 2024, S. 3959, which Biden enacted on Dec. 23, 2024.
Current Transportation Security Administration (TSA) policies often mandate three separate applications: the TWIC, the HME, and a TSA Security Threat Assessment. To avoid duplicative paperwork and fees, the new law will streamline the enrollment process and cut through the red tape, according to Wicker’s staff.
Specifically, the new law requires TSA to permit an individual to enroll at a TSA-authorized enrollment center once and use the application, as well as information generated by TSA’s vetting, to enroll in any other programs; and to permit an individual to enroll in more than one STA program at the same time for a single fee that is less than the combined fee for applying to the same programs separately.
Additionally, TSA must provide for a streamlined and expeditious renewal process, and provide states the expiration dates for each individual’s STA to ensure commercial driver’s licenses include an individual’s current HME status. The TSA also must publish on its website information relating to the streamlining of the enrollment system, according to the Congressional Record bill summary.
“I thank my friends in the House and Senate, as well as the American Trucking Associations, for their help getting this past the finish line,” Wicker added in a statement released Tuesday.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has been at the forefront pushing to get this bill passed to eliminate redundant fees and background checks for essential supply chain workers.
Beginning in 2023, for instance, ATA assembled a group of more than 150 organizations representing trucking, rail, energy, organized labor, agriculture, third-party logistics providers, and other key supply chain stakeholders in supporting the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act, which was first introduced in September 2023 by U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Adam Smith (D-WA). Wicker then joined U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), among others, to introduce the identical bill in their chamber on March 14, 2024.
“For far too long, the truck drivers who keep our country running have been subjected to an outdated, inefficient credentialing system that does not respect their time and money. By taking the final step needed to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, Congress will provide essential supply chain workers with overdue relief from redundant background checks and fees,” said ATA President & CEO Chris Spear last month after the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill and sent it to Biden.
“The Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act is a bipartisan victory for common sense,” Spear added. “We commend members of Congress, especially Sen. Roger Wicker and Congressman Garret Graves, who stood up for truckers, making it easier and less costly for hard-working Americans to obtain the credentials they need to do their jobs.”