The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has, without fanfare, updated its website with the “Latest News” that the cost to get a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) will drop slightly, as of March 19, 2012. At that time, the price of TWIC will drop from $132.50 to $129.75.
The price reduction is a consequence of an
FBI Notice in the
Federal Register of December 20, 2011 dropping the cost of finger-print-based Criminal History Record Information checks by $2.75, effective that date in March. According to TSA’s
Frequently Asked Questions on the reduction, people who enroll for a TWIC before March 19
th will not receive a refund. On the other hand, the same $2.75 fee reduction (to $105.25) will apply for TWIC applicants who have undergone a security threat assessment for another credential, i.e. those who hold a:
- valid Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) issued after May 31, 2005,
- valid Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card,
- Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) issued after February 3, 2003, or
- Merchant Marine License (MML) issued after January 13, 2006.
The reduction will also apply to applications for HAZMAT Endorsements submitted in TSA Agent States.
It’s not clear when TSA posted this news. The agency does not date its updates. You might be able to date news announcements by subscribing to email updates, but it hasn’t worked for me as I haven’t received any emails. In any event, this announcement appears quite recent.
The bottom line: If you don’t absolutely need to get or renew a TWIC right away, wait until March 19th. That way you can buy a medium McCafé Smoothie with your savings (the fries will be out of pocket, however).
NOTE: This post may be copied, distributed, and displayed and derivative works may be based on it, provided it is attributed to Maritime Transportation Security News and Views by John C. W. Bennett,http://mpsint.com.