New Senate Bill Would Eliminate 100% Maritime Cargo Scanning Deadline
On July 27, 2010, Senator Collins (R), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Senator Murray (D), introduced a bipartisan bill that would extend port security programs now in place in the U.S.1
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The measure, “The SAFE Port Reauthorization Act of 2010” (S. 3659), would extend anti-terrorism protections designed to safeguard the U.S. shipping lanes and seaports from attack and sabotage.
According to a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee press release, S. 3659 would:
Eliminate the 2012 100% scanning of maritime cargo deadline. The bill would address the difficulties in administering the mandate of x-raying and scanning for radiation all maritime cargo containers overseas that are destined for U.S. by July 2012. The bill would eliminate the deadline for x-raying and scanning 100% of containers if certain individual security measures of DHS’ layered security approach are met (and certified by DHS).
Reauthorize SAFE Port Act programs that have proven successful. among other things, the bill would reauthorize the SAFE Port Act maritime cargo security programs that have proven to be successful. These include:
- The Automated Targeting System (ATS) that identifies high-risk cargo;
- The Container Security Initiative (CSI) that ensures high-risk cargo containers are inspected at ports overseas before they travel to the U.S.; and
- The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), which provides incentives to importers to enhance the security of their cargo from point of origin to destination.
Provide new C-TPAT benefits, checks. The bill would also strengthen the C-TPAT program by providing new benefits, including voluntary security training to industry participants and providing participants an information sharing mechanism on maritime and port security threats, and by authorizing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct unannounced inspections to ensure that security practices are robust.
Extend port security grants, extend Waterway Watch Program. Further, the bill would extend the competitive, risk-based, port security grants that have provided $1.5 billion to improve the security of U.S. ports. The bill also would expand the America’s Waterway Watch Program to promote voluntary reporting of suspected terrorist activity or suspicious behavior against a vessel, facility, port, or waterway.
The bill would also protect protects from frivolous lawsuits when they report, in good faith, suspicious behavior that may indicate terrorist activity against the U.S.
Enhance research & development efforts to improve maritime cargo security. The legislation would enhance research and development efforts to improve maritime cargo security with demonstration projects to examine the use of composite materials in cargo containers to improve container integrity and to deploy next generation sensors.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/29/10 news, 10072825, for BP summary announcing that this bill was introduced.
See ITT's Online Archives or 07/28/10 news, 10072827, for BP summary of Senators Rockefeller and Hutchinson introducing S. 3639, the “Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2010,” which would extend the scanning deadline to 2015, etc.)
1 Senators Collins and Murray coauthored the original SAFE Port Act in 2005.