Congress, through the Maritime Transportation Security Act, or MTSA, directed the federal government to issue a biometric transportation security credential to any individual with unescorted access to secure areas of facilities and vessels and all mariners holding Coast Guard issued credentials or qualification documents. Controlling access to secure areas is a critical component of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to enhance port security.

TWIC is a common identification credential for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA-regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials. TSA will issue workers a tamper-resistant "Smart Card" containing the worker's biometric (fingerprint template) to allow for a positive link between the card itself and the individual.

estimated one million individuals will be required to obtain a TWIC. This includes Coast Guard-credentialed merchant mariners, port facility employees, longshoremen, truck drivers, and others requiring unescorted access to secure areas of maritime facilities and vessels regulated by MTSA.

alien in valid M-1 nonimmigrant status who is enrolled in the United States Merchant Marine Academy or a comparable State maritime academy. Such individuals may serve as unlicensed mariners on a documented vessel, regardless of their nationality, under 46 U.S.C. 8103. A nonimmigrant alien admitted under the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the United States and Palau.

Facility and vessel owners/operators are required to inform employees of their responsibility to possess a TWIC and what parts of the facility and vessel will require a TWIC for unescorted access. The intent of this requirement is for owners/operators to determine which of their employees will need a TWIC and inform those employees in enough time for them to comply with the requirements.

The TWIC final rule is available on TSA's website here and more information on port security is available at the U.S. Coast Guard's Homeport site here. It can also be accessed at the DOT Docket Management system here, by searching on docket number 24196 and document number 857. Yes. In addition to direct involvement from the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, TSA and the U.S.

Owners and operators of vessels and all U.S. credentialed mariners will be required to comply with the provisions of the final TWIC rule by September 25, 2008. Compliance for facilities will be phased in by Captain of the Port zone (COTP), and the compliance date for each zone will be published via notice in the Federal Register 90 days prior to the compliance date.

The TWIC will be a Smart Card (i.e.

Yes. The rule includes a list of various immigration categories that are eligible to apply for a TWIC, including nationals, refugees, asylees, lawful non-immigrants with unrestricted work authorization, and certain professionals with restricted work authorization.

individual who lacks lawful presence and certain immigration status in the United States, has a connection to terrorist activity, has been determined to lack mental capacity, or was convicted of the certain crimes will be ineligible for a TWIC.

TWIC applicants are required to provide identity documents to TSA to complete the enrollment process. There are two lists of identity verification documents (listed below) and applicants are required to furnish either one identity document from List A or two documents from List B with one of the two being a government-issued photo ID.

The TWIC Disclosure Form provides additional information to the applicant on the security threat assessment process, as well as a notice on privacy and paperwork reduction. The applicant is also required to review and certify statements pertaining to eligibility for a TWIC, military service, and, once a TWIC is issued to the applicant, their responsibility to disclose information to TSA that would disqualify them from holding a TWIC.

The fee for TWIC will be $132.50 and it is valid for five years. Workers with current, comparable background checks will pay a reduced fee of $105.25. If workers are eligible to pay the lower price, their TWIC will expire 5 years from the date of the comparable credential (additional information is provided in the next question). The cost of a replacement TWIC, if the original is lost, stolen or damaged is $60.

TWICs remain valid for five years, unless the expiration date was based on a comparable credential (FAST card, Merchant Mariner Document or Hazmat Endorsement). The expiration date is displayed on the face of the credential and TWIC holders will be responsible for renewal. For applicants who pay the reduced fee, the expiration date of their TWIC will be 5 years from the date listed on the credential associated with the comparable security threat assessment.

The applicant must report the disqualifying condition to TSA and surrender the TWIC. In addition, the TWIC becomes invalid.

This method of payment is a prepaid Visa® card and is intended for employers who wish to purchase TWICs for their employees. They may be purchased in bulk and are redeemable at any TWIC enrollment center. The website for additional information or purchasing them is at http://www.twiccard.com.

The Coast Guard will publish TWIC compliance dates for each Captain of the Port zone in the Federal Register. We expect this compliance date to closely follow the end of the initial enrollment period for the relevant COTP Zone. The Coast Guard will provide 90 days notice prior to the compliance date in a particular COTP. Facility owners and operators are responsible for ensuring that their employees are aware of enrollment and compliance dates.

Applicants are encouraged to reapply if their initial disqualifying offense is no longer applicable. Applicants will need to understand the nature of the initial disqualification and the corresponding look-back periods of 5 or 7 years if applicable. Reapplying can occur as long as there are no secondary disqualifying events.

Cards for testing TWIC readers are under investigation with a recommended process for manufacturers to obtain cards forthcoming. We anticipate that all readers will need to meet both laboratory testing and some level of real world operational testing requirements.

The course was developed by Bruce Campbell, Ph.D., a recovered CFS patient who before becoming ill worked on self-help programs for chronic illness at the Stanford University Medical School. For more on his background, see his biography.

First, Netscape performed a careful analysis of all of the other free software licenses to determine what problems they solved and created. Then the company spent a good deal of time listening to experts and advocates in the free software community as well as to the public conversations about the freeing of the Communicator source. All of this input went into a draft license that went through extensive internal review and was posted to mozilla.org for review and comment by the general public.

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Through a sixty million year geologic process punctuated with shifts in the earths crust resulting in molten lava escaping from fissures, then a period of floods, more earth changes and several more floods. Ultimately, the landscape was covered with basalt rock that has been scarped, carved and channeled by the remarkable power of water. A landscape truly created by fire and water.

The About Apache document explains how the Apache project evolved from its beginnings as an outgrowth of the NCSA httpd project to its current status as one of the fastest, most efficient, and most functional web servers in existence.

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Teams are created randomly every Fall. It has always been ALITHSA policy to keep the children on the same team from Fall to Spring.

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