Port staff reported progress establishing the CT Pad/CTPAT (referred in the meeting as "CT Pad") office in Laredo, including new hires, validations, and a work plan to validate additional supply‑chain members. Presenters said the office received full staffing in February with a supervisor and multiple specialists, expects a seventh specialist in July and is pursuing authorization to expand toward a total of 11 specialists by year’s end.

Staff told the committee that a recent validation operation covered 46 transportation companies and one manufacturer; that operation proceeded after coordination with experienced officers and U.S. consulate regional safety officers because some validations require travel to higher‑risk areas. Staff said validations have proceeded well and that the office is prioritizing local members who have been waiting longest for physical validations.

Staff described an active work plan: about 330 companies were listed for validation this fiscal year; the office said accounts that cannot be completed in the current fiscal year will roll over to the next. The committee asked for operational numbers and volume impacts; staff said they had not yet pulled final daily fast‑lane numbers but that past figures referenced in the meeting were roughly 2,800 fast‑lane crossings per day and that validated members can help increase fast‑lane use.

Trade representatives at the meeting encouraged carriers to enroll but also warned of confusion about program names and overlapping security programs. Staff urged companies to begin applications in the portal so specialists can assist if applicants have questions. Staff said validations must be in‑person and that remote validations are not an accepted substitute for physical validation visits.

No new funding appropriation or regulatory changes were adopted during the report; staff said some specialist and mission-support positions depend on headquarters authorization and funding and are not guaranteed, and that the office is coordinating with regional and headquarters offices to handle the workload and safety escorts needed for validations.