PORT SECURITY USER FEE PROPOSAL

PORT SECURITY USER FEE PROPOSAL    The question of who will pay for increased port security could be answered as early this week when a new user fee proposal is introduced to a House committee.
   Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., who introduced a proposal this summer to impose user fees on shippers to help fund the Seaport Security bill (S. 1214), is preparing a proposal the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
   Some House members indicated that Hollings’ previous fee request might be considered a tax and not a fee. The Constitution stipulates that taxes must originate in the House, not the Senate.
   “Sen. Hollings hopes to have a user fee proposal we can get to the House early this week,” a Senate aide said Monday.
      The aide said that, in six field hearings on the bill since December, Hollings and other senators saw the need to generate funds for security. The legislation calls for background checks on personnel working in heightened-security areas of ports, more federal agents at ports, and new construction on seaport sites.
   The legislation calls for culling security funds from monies generated by Customs duties, or assessing fees on containers to pay for security measures. “It was apparent at that time that there would be a lot of funds necessary for compliance with the act,” the Senate aide said.