Senate drops cargo security amendments from intelligence bill
The U.S. Senate voted 96-2 to pass intelligence reform legislation closely based on the recommendations of the Sept. 11 Commission. The bill calls for the development of a comprehensive, secure communications network and policies for sharing information among intelligence and homeland security agencies to identify potential terrorists.
The Senate dropped several amendments related to container security, including a bill by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., mandating manual inspection of 10 percent of all inbound containers and a bill by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., which would mandate the removal of containers from the dock to a general order warehouse or customs examination station unless a customs entry had been filed within seven days.