TSA announces final TWIC costs

Port and maritime workers will pay slightly less than initially predicted for their Transportation Worker Identification Credentials.According to a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register, a new card will cost $137, two dollars less than TSA had indicated in January. The final price includes a $43 enrollment fee, a $72 production and security threat assessment, and a $22 FBI fee.Workers who have already undergone comparable background checks will pay only $105 for their cards, saving $10 on the security threat assessment and the full $22 FBI fee.The TWIC program will require 850,000 port and maritime workers to carry a secure smart card containing biometric data and other personal information.Although the final costs are lower than projected at the beginning of the year, the fees still are nearly $10 higher than TSA predicted in May 2006.