WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a major maritime security bill Tuesday.
The new bill would require the Homeland Security Department to take steps toward scanning all cargo containers at foreign ports before they are shipped to the United States, CongressDaily reported.
While marking up the measure, the committee approved an amendment by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., that would require the Department of Homeland Security to set up test programs at three foreign ports within a year through which all cargo containers will be given a radiation and image scan before being loaded on ships bound for the United States, CongressDaily said.
After analyzing results from the test programs, the DHS would be required to implement a program for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo at every foreign port "as soon as practicable and possible."
Lautenberg said his amendment originally called for the DHS to scan all cargo at every foreign port within five years. But he said he knew that language would not be approved by the Republican majority in the Senate and on the committee, so he changed his amendment.
"We want it done as soon as possible," he said. His amendment was approved unanimously by voice vote. An aide told CongressDaily that the DHS would be responsible for identifying the three ports for the test programs within 90 days of the bill becoming law.
Containers at the ports would have to undergo non-intrusive radiation and imaging scans, the aide added. The department would be responsible for determining other technology standards, the report said.
Senate Homeland Security Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said he would like the DHS to have a system in place within three years for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo for at least radiological material.
