PORT SECURITY LEGISLATION SAILS THROUGH CONGRESS

PORT SECURITY LEGISLATION SAILS THROUGH CONGRESS    Congress passed legislation Thursday that promises to improve security in the country’s seaports and on arriving cargo vessels against terrorist acts.
   The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 had been held up in a Senate-House conference for several months. Lawmakers, however, made the legislation a top priority to pass in the lame-duck session.
   The Senate passed the legislation Thursday morning by a 95-to-0 vote. The House was expected to pass the legislation late Thursday.
   “While there is no way to make our nation’s seaports completely crime free and impenetrable to terrorist attacks, this conference report will undoubtedly advance port security and help strengthen overall national security,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
   Work on a seaport security bill began two years ago after a report by the Interagency Commission on Crime and Seaport Security found that the nation’s seaports were highly vulnerable to criminal and terrorist activities. The legislation became more significant to Congress and the administration after the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Terrorist experts warned that the maritime sector could be used as a staging ground for other attacks.
   “The sheer size and complexity of our port facilities combined with the enormous volume of commercial cargo that travels through them every day makes them vulnerable to attacks,” said Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., head of the Senate Commerce Committee, who along with Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., spearheaded the legislation.
   “With this bill, we begin to ensure that our ports will have the comprehensive plans, advanced intelligence, personnel, law enforcement, and regulations in place to vastly improve security,” Hollings said.
   Hollings, however, expressed concern about paying for these new security measures. A proposed industry user fee was pulled from legislative negotiations in mid-October.
   “Recognizing the importance of passing port security legislation in this Congress, we agreed to withdraw a ‘user fee’ provision from the legislation,” Hollings said. “But make no mistake about it, this bill is an unfunded mandate, and we are going to have to address a way to pay for it. I will be waiting to see how the president proposes to pay for this program, and I look forward to working with the administration and my colleagues to complete this task.”
   Many of the provisions in the seaport security legislation will be carried out by the Customs Service and Coast Guard, which are expected to be brought together along with 20 other federal agencies under the new Homeland Security Department. For a summary of the Maritime Transportation Security Act provision, access on line https://www.AmericanShipper.com.
   Meanwhile, the House approved legislation creating the Homeland Security Department Wednesday night by a vote of 299 to 121. The Senate is expected to pass similar legislation before the end of the week.