U.S. SENATE REJECTS PORT SECURITY AMENDMENT

U.S. SENATE REJECTS PORT SECURITY AMENDMENT    While deliberating over additional funding for the war in Iraq, the U.S. Senate last week rejected by a 52-47 vote an amendment by Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., to include $1 billion to improve security at U.S. ports.
   “Everybody talks about port security, but they don’t do anything about it,” said Hollings, ranking member on the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation committee. “Every Republican and every Democrat committed to this funding just 12 days ago” — on Feb. 21, when the Senate agreed unanimously to provide funding for port security as part of the fiscal year 2004 budget resolution — “but they weren’t willing to put the real dollars behind that commitment.'