Data News Staff Edited Report
Last week Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-L.A.) and Congressman Clay Higgins (R-L.A.) introduced the bipartisan TWIC Efficiency (TWICE) Act. This legislation will improve access to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Program by supporting those currently in Federal, State, or local prisons by helping them apply in advance or get ready to apply for TWIC Cards and assisting individuals who are appealing or requesting exceptions if they are initially deemed ineligible for the program.
“I am passionate about making sure our Criminal Justice System is fair and that returning citizens have every possible opportunity for success when they come home,” said Rep. Carter. “So many jobs in the United States require a TWIC Card just to work behind a secure facility’s gate. Louisiana’s industry is begging for this workforce. This bill will help make reentry more successful and ensure that workforce training can improve people’s lives.”
The TWICE Act would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to:
Develop guidelines to improve returning citizens access to the TWIC Program.
Develop guidelines to assist individuals in custody to pre-apply for TWIC Cards and to assist those requesting an appeal or waiver after issuance of a “Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility.”
Provide a briefing to Congress within a year on improvements to access the TWIC Program.
“I’ve often observed, in the course of my life, that a man’s character shouldn’t be measured by how he falls, it should be measured by how he stands back up. Americans are loving and compassionate, we believe in second chances, and this bill will help men that want to help themselves,” said Rep. Higgins. “I’m thankful to my Louisiana Brother Congressman Troy Carter for his leadership on TWICE, and I’m prayerful that my colleagues in the House and Senate will agree that every child of God deserves a chance to work, to earn an honest living.”
“The TWICE Act not only increases economic mobility for citizens, it also improves the movement of goods across the country,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. “More Louisianians will now be able to play meaningful roles in fueling and feeding the world due to the state’s established leadership in energy, advanced manufacturing, trade, and logistics. These efficiencies equally benefit American workers and employers by increasing access for a qualified, yet underutilized talent pool to good jobs within Greater New Orleans, and at over 3,000 facilities across the nation. We thank Congressmen Carter and Higgins, as well as the TSA for their collaborative work to improve administration of this critical credential.”
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