TSA Proposes Fees For Hazmat Background Checks, Fingerprinting
Oliver B. Patton
Washington Editor
Starting next year, it will cost between $83 and $105 to obtain or renew a hazardous materials endorsement on a CDL, under a proposal by the Transportation Security Administration.
The agency is proposing two fees: one to cover the costs associated with the background check that is required for U.S. drivers who haul hazmats, and another to cover the cost of collecting and transmitting fingerprints. In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will charge a fee for its share of the background check.
TSA plans to let the states decide how they want to collect the fingerprints. A state may want to handle that procedure itself, presumably through its driver's license agency, or it may farm the job out to a third party that has been approved by TSA.
If a state decides to handle the fingerprinting itself, it will collect the background check fee from the driver and pass it on to TSA. It also will collect and pass on the FBI fee. TSA proposed that states be permitted to levy their own fee to cover the cost of collecting and transmitting the fingerprints.
If a state decides to pass the job on to a third party, then the third party will collect all three fees.
TSA proposed a fee of $36 for the "Threat Assessment," or background check. This would cover the check itself, as well as other administrative procedures such as adjudication, if necessary. If a third party collects and transmits the fingerprints, the fee would be between $25 and $45. TSA did not propose a specific fee if the state decides to handle the fingerprints - but presumably the state would levy a charge in the same range. The FBI fee would be $22 if a third party collects it, or $24 if the state collects it.
The states have until Jan. 31, 2005, to put their systems in place.
The background checks and fingerprints are part of an overall plan to improve security in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ultimately, all drivers who have a hazmat endorsement on their Commercial Driver's License will have to clear a background check by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Throughout the fall, TSA has been checking the names of some 3.5 million drivers with hazmat endorsements against the FBI and INS data bases. That process is supposed to be finished by the end of the year.
If the background check reveals that a driver is a security threat or has been convicted of a serious felony - for example, treason or sedition, robbery, rape, bribery or the unlawful possession of firearms or controlled substances - within the past seven years, he will not be allowed to haul hazmats. There is an appeal process, in which a driver can correct the record if there has been a mistake.
In the event that a driver fails to clear the check, TSA will notify the driver's state motor vehicle agency, which will in turn notify the driver. Drivers who believe they may not get past the check should contact TSA - they may be eligible for a waiver.
The fee proposal was published in the Nov. 10 Federal Register. For more information, contact Randall Fiertz at TSA (571)227-2323; or TSA-Fees@dhs.gov.
