Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 710, the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act. First, I would like to thank the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for reintroducing this thoughtful legislation and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) for her leadership in moving it through her subcommittee last Congress. Mr. Speaker, this legislation calls for a security assessment to determine the efficacy of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, commonly known as the TWIC program. This bill will help Congress better determine the value of the TWIC program and simultaneously allow the Department to proceed with finalizing the long-awaited card reader rule. I support this bill under consideration on the floor today because it responds to a key recommendation of the Government Accountability Office that the TWIC program should have a baseline security assessment before the program moves forward. I have several thriving ports in my district, such as Savannah, Brunswick, and Kings Bay. As many of my colleagues who also have ports in their districts know, TWIC is a port security program that has been wrought with constant delays and questions about its overall security value.…”