a trucker delivering a load to a port in georgia or south carolina can simply present the twic card and make his or her delivery as congress intended when we -- when the twic program was designed. however, the same trucker in florida will have to pay additional fees because the state refuses to recognize the twic as a sufficient security credential. florida is the only state in the country to require two security clearances to enter public sea ports. these duplicative clearances not only defeat the purpose of having a federal port security credential but they put florida sea ports, tenants, trucking companies and workers at a competitive disadvantage. and this is hurting florida's economy. it's a terrible burden on business. now, in 2007, this congress directed t.s.a. to work with florida to come to a mutually agreeable solution that would allow the twic to serve its purpose, but the ensuing years said they would not accept the national standard for port security but would continue to require expensive, duplicative and unnecessary extra background checks. the criminal background checks

twic port credential, five-year card is $132.50. and if you're in florida you have to pay an additional $100 to $130 for the florida clearance for the same five-year period. this additional financial and bureaucratic burden on florida port businesses and workers is unnecessary. the amendment i'm offering will restore reasonable, rational and cost-effective maritime business environment. duplicative and unnecessary costs erode the efforts to stimulate and grow florida's economy and decrease the effectiveness of national standards put in place by congress through the twic program. . if florida can justify background checks with legitimate homeland security concerns, this amendment gives them the opportunity to do so and the parallel program could be maintained. but if the duplicative and expensive background checks required by florida are not making our ports safer, workers should not have to pay for them. mr. chairman, i urge my colleagues to adopt the amendment. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from flori