|
Washington D.C.- (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)—Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, and Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced the “Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act” today, March 14, 2006.
“I am hopeful the recent heightened attention paid to the issue of national port security will inject a sense of urgency and spur the adoption of real-time legislation that ensures the safety of the American people and the security of our global supply chain. The SAFE Port Act strategically and practically addresses the need for comprehensive port security by effectively extending our borders out and focuses our limited resources on suspect cargo, port operations, and individuals before our national security can be compromised. Our shores must be the last line of defense in port security, not the first,” Lungren said.
Lungren continued to explain that the bill will:
- Require DHS to conduct terrorist watch-list checks of all port employees with access to secure areas,
- Ensure 100 percent of containers are scanned for radiation
- Provide risk-based funding through a dedicated Port Security Grant Program to harden U.S. ports against terrorist attacks and enhance capabilities to respond to attacks and resume operations.
- Require the Secretary of DHS to develop protocols for resuming trade after a transportation security incident.
“The SAFE Port Act will also create a dedicated stream of funding that will, through a comprehensive risk-based analysis, provide funding to high-risk ports,” Lungren continued. “A dedicated grant program for port security will not only protect domestic assets, it will enhance international border security through measures implemented both abroad and at U.S. maritime ports of entry. The adoption of comprehensive port security legislation is urgent, eminent, and essential to protecting the American people and the vitality of the American economy.”
The SAFE Port Act, which has 46 bipartisan original cosponsors, is the companion bill to Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Patty Murray (D-WA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Joe Lieberman’s (D-CT) “GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act.” A legislative hearing on the SAFE Port Act is scheduled to be held in the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity on Thursday March 16, 2006.
Text of the SAFE Port Act and comprehensive background information are available at www.house.gov/chs.
(####) |
|
