Senate moves forward on $37.6 billion DHS funding bill

Senate moves forward on $37.6 billion DHS funding bill The Senate Appropriations homeland security subcommittee Wednesday approved a $37.6 billion 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The full Appropriations Committee will vote on the bill today.
   The bill increases funding for DHS by 8 percent, or $2.2 billion, over the 2007 level.
   Lawmakers shifted $45.5 million from container security programs to secure what they said are more vulnerable pathways, such as air freight, to smuggle nuclear material into the country. The subcommittee said container traffic only accounts for 25 percent of overall cargo imports.
   The Democratic-led subcommittee added $15 million more than President Bush’s request for additional Coast Guard port inspectors to double the frequency of spot checks at ports from at least one random check to two, conduct vulnerability assessments at the 10 highest risk ports and develop a long-range vessel-tracking system.
   It also increased by $15 million the president’s request to address a shortage of Coast Guard boats and personnel to secure vessels and marine facilities that contain hazardous materials.
   The bill also raises by $60 million the president’s request to fund the establishment of Coast Guard interagency maritime operational centers to improve collection and sharing of intelligence among federal, state and local agencies.
   Lawmakers added another $15 million to the White House budget for the Transportation Security Administration to pilot test the Transportation Worker Identification Credential biometric card readers at ports. TSA missed the SAFE Ports Act April deadline to test the technology at five ports, and now said it will also miss a July 1 target date.
   Port security grants have survived the process so far at their full $400 million funding level, as proposed in last year’s SAFE Port Act. The amount is $190 million more than President Bush requested and will help eligible ports with security infrastructure, training and operations.
   Also included in the bill is $6 million for an Intermodal Test Center at the Port of Tacoma. The DHS program will test cargo radiation screening techniques in the rail environment, which has proven problematic so far compared with screening truck traffic. A recent emergency supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year provided $5 million to get the testing program underway.
   TSA air cargo security programs are slated for an additional $10 million more than the White House requested, to deploy additional canine teams and screening technology at airports. The emergency supplemental bill included $80 million for these purposes as Congress pushes to screen all cargo on passenger aircraft.