The two million TWIC cards that the Department of Homeland Security has issued since 2007 are usable only as a flash pass until the government approves technology for biometric readers. The Coast Guard is expected this year to issue a notice of proposed rule-making for the readers.

Joe Lawless, maritime security director at the Massachusetts Port Authority, told a House subcommittee that ports worry that further delays could cause ports to lose funding under previously awarded port security grants.

Lawless testified on behalf of the AAPA before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee. He is chairman of the AAPA's security committee.

As administrative rules are developed for TWIC card readers, "there are concerns about who will be covered, the cost, and whether readers will work efficiently," Lawless said.

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