HOUSE SEAPORT SECURITY BILL HEADED FOR VOTE

HOUSE SEAPORT SECURITY BILL HEADED FOR VOTE    The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved legislation to increase the nation’s seaport security Wednesday.
   Now, the Maritime Transportation Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002 goes to the House floor for a vote in mid-April following Easter recess.
   “Protecting our ports and maritime transportation system is of critical importance to our nation,” said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.
   The bill authorizes $75 million annually in grants for enhanced facility security in grants for enhanced security at U.S. ports for fiscal years 2003-2005.
   The bill also establishes a comprehensive national security system, which would be supported by the U.S. Coast Guard through port assessments. It also calls for the Coast Guard to assess the security systems of foreign ports, while giving the Coast Guard power to deny entry to vessels from ports that do not maintain effective security.
   The bill also has a section that allows the dispatch of trained Coast Guard sea marshals onto vessels or on facilities to deter or respond to acts of terrorism.
   “We want safe ports, yet we want to maintain our ability to compete,” said Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.