CONGRESS POISED TO PASS PORT SECURITY LEGISLATION
The U.S. Congress is expected to pass legislation as early as Wednesday evening to tighten security in the nation’s seaports and on arriving cargo vessels.
The so-called “Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002” had been held up in a Senate-House conference for months, but lawmakers in the lame-duck session were determined to pass the legislation.
“This legislation goes a long way toward tackling the many concerns facing the transportation industry as port security has remained one of the most difficult and least understood vulnerabilities to the American economy,” said Sen. John Breaux, D La.
Development of the legislation, which began before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a seaport anti-crime bill (S.1214), was largely spearheaded by Senators Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., a leader in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Bob Graham, D-Fla.
The legislation sets out a range of security measures to be carried out largely by the Customs Service and Coast Guard. Some of these measures, which are already in place and largely follow proposed International Maritime Organization security guidelines, include:
* Creation of local port security committees to coordinate efforts between federal, state, local and private law enforcement agencies.
* Mandatory comprehensive security plans for all ports.
* Limited access to “security-sensitive” areas in ports, firearm restrictions, and employee background checks.
* Changes to advance cargo information requirements for Customs, including both import and export manifests.
* A sea marshal program and Coast Guard authorization to board ships entering U.S. ports to deter hijackings or other terrorist activities.
* Automatic identification systems on board vessels navigating in U.S. waters, in addition to a long-range vessel tracking system on international voyages that include U.S. waters to effectively track vessel movements.
A controversial industry user fee to pay for the increase maritime and port security measures was pulled from the legislative negotiations in mid-October. However, Hollings and Graham said Congress would revisit port security funding in six months.
“I am pleased we are completing action on this bill after meeting for four months as a conference committee. But I remained concerned that we are writing the check for security at our ports while we still need to put the money in the bank to cover it,” Graham said. “A sustained, reliable funding source for security at our ports is the only way these improvements will become reality.”
It will cost the nation’s seaports and related security activities an estimated $4 billion to fully comply with the security initiative. Florida’s public marine terminals alone will spend about $220 million in security upgrades.
For now, the legislation establishes a grant program to help port facilities improve their security. It also authorizes $90 million in research and development grants to help Customs to more efficiently inspect containerized cargo and $33 million for development of security training and certification programs for federal, state and private security personnel. In addition, the legislation authorizes about $6 billion for the Coast Guard’s fiscal 2003 budget.
Meanwhile, Congress will continue considering ways to tighten transportation security in the United States, without impeding the legitimate flow of cargo traffic.
The passage of the seaport security legislation should be viewed as part of a “layering effect” to enhance security in all transport modes, including ocean, air, truck and rail, said Peter Gatti, vice president of international policy for the National Industrial Transportation League.
Gatti said the challenge for the future Homeland Security Department will be to coordinate the requirements of the various transportation security-related legislation and the enforcement activities of the agencies under its management.