Senate Bill Calls for Screening of Containers at Foreign Ports
wo senators have introduced legislation they said would create an Office of Cargo Security within the Department of °®¶ą´«Ă˝land Security and it would expand the power of U.S. security officials to screen cargo containers in foreign ports.
The $835 million GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act was brought to the floor by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the Senate’s °®¶ą´«Ă˝land Security and Government Affairs Committee, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee.
“Our bill will help close one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities facing our nation — a terrorist organization using cargo containers to bring weapons and terrorists into the United States,” Murray said when she introduced the bill Nov. 15.