House signs off on SAFE Port Act in effort to improve port security
Staff -- Logistics Management, 5/5/2006
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted to pass H.R., 4954, Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act by a 421-2 vote, according to wire reports.
The legislation, introduced in March by Representatives Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is a companion to S.2008, the GreenLane Maritime Security Act of 2005. And it focuses on enhancing security at U.S. ports, preventing threats from reaching the United States, and tracking and protecting containers en route to this country.
Main provisions of the bill include: requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to scan inbound containers for radiation, check all port employees against terrorist “watch lists, develop protocols for resuming port operations following a terrorist attack, establish standards for securing containers within 180 days, and conduct additional research on port security technology.
“SAFE Port increases the security of our sea ports and makes the American people safer,” said Lungren in a statement. “This is comprehensive legislation that addresses dangerous vulnerabilities at our national ports and creates a strategic layered defense to guard against attack.”
This legislation, according to wire reports, would require DHS to put enough radiation monitors into place to scan 98 percent of the cargo coming into the U.S by the end of the next fiscal year, September 30, 2007. And the legislation proposes spending $5.5 billion over six years to strengthen security at the 140 U.S seaports and make them less vulnerable to terrorist threats without hindering commerce.
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