I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 710 

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a comprehensive 

security assessment of the transportation security card program, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2015 

Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, and Mrs. MILLER of Michigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Homeland Security 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare 

a comprehensive security assessment of the transportation security card program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Essential Transpor5 tation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY ASSESSMENT OF THE 

2 TRANSPORTATION SECURITY CARD PRO3 GRAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 

6 Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Se7 curity and the Committee on Transportation and Infra8 structure of the House of Representatives, the Committee 

9 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

10 and the Comptroller General of the United States a com11 prehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the transpor12 tation security card program under section 70105 of title 

13 46, United States Code, at enhancing security and reduc14 ing security risks for facilities and vessels regulated pursu15 ant to section 102 of Public Law 107–295. Such assess16 ment shall be conducted by a national laboratory that, to 

17 the extent practicable, is within the Department of Home18 land Security laboratory network with expertise in mari19 time security or by a maritime security university-based 

20 center within the Department of Homeland Security cen21 ters of excellence network. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The comprehensive assessment 

23 shall include— 

24 (1) an evaluation of the extent to which the 

25 program, as implemented, addresses known or likely 

26 security risks in the maritime environment; 


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1 (2) an evaluation of the extent to which defi2 ciencies identified by the Comptroller General have 

3 been addressed; and 

4 (3) a cost-benefit analysis of the program, as 

5 implemented. 

6 (c) CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN; PROGRAM RE7 FORMS.—Not later than 60 days after the Secretary sub8 mits the assessment under subsection (a), the Secretary 

9 shall submit a corrective action plan to the Committee on 

10 Homeland Security and the Committee on Transportation 

11 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

13 of the Senate that responds to the assessment under sub14 section (b). The corrective action plan shall include an im15 plementation plan with benchmarks, may include pro16 grammatic reforms, revisions to regulations, or proposals 

17 for legislation, and shall be considered in any rule making 

18 by the Department relating to the transportation security 

19 card program. 

20 (d) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 

21 than 120 days after the Secretary issues the corrective ac22 tion plan under subsection (c), the Comptroller General 

23 shall— 

24 (1) review the extent to which such plan imple25 ments— 


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1 (A) recommendations issued by the na2 tional laboratory or maritime security univer3 sity-based center, as applicable, in the assess4 ment submitted under subsection (a); and 

5 (B) recommendations issued by the Comp6 troller General before the enactment of this Act; 

7 and 

8 (2) inform the Committee on Homeland Secu9 rity and the Committee on Transportation and In10 frastructure of the House of Representatives and the 

11 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor12 tation of the Senate as to the responsiveness of such 

13 plan to such recommendations. 

14 (e) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY CARD READER

15 RULE.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

17 Security may not issue a final rule requiring the use 

18 of transportation security card readers until— 

19 (A) the Comptroller General informs the 

20 Committees on Homeland Security and the 

21 Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc22 ture of the House of Representatives and the 

23 Committee on Commerce, Science and Trans24 portation of the Senate that the submission 


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1 under subsection (a) is responsive to the rec2 ommendations of the Comptroller General; and 

3 (B) the Secretary issues an updated list of 

4 transportation security card readers that are 

5 compatible with active transportation security 

6 cards. 

7 (2) LIMITATION ON APPLICATION.—Paragraph 

8 (1) shall not apply with respect to any final rule 

9 issued pursuant to the notice of proposed rule10 making on Transportation Worker Identification 

11 Credential (TWIC)-Reader Requirements published 

12 by the Coast Guard on March 22, 2013 (78 Fed. 

13 Reg. 17781). 

14 (f) COMPTROLLER GENERAL OVERSIGHT.—Not less 

15 than 18 months after the date of the issuance of the cor16 rective action plan under subsection (c), and every six 

17 months thereafter during the 3-year period following the 

18 date of the issuance of the first report under this sub19 section, the Comptroller General shall report to the Com20 mittee on Homeland Security and the Committee on 

21 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep22 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

23 and Transportation of the Senate regarding implementa24 tion of the corrective action plan. 


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1 SEC. 3. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 

2 No additional funds are authorized to be appro3 priated to carry out this Act and the amendments made 

4 by this Act, and this Act and such amendments shall be 

5 carried out using amounts otherwise available for such 

6 purpose. 

Æ 


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