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U.S. Response III: House Passes Maritime Security Legislation The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday to extend the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard and other maritime anti-terrorism measures (see GSN, May 23) The Maritime Transportation Act, passed by a voice vote, would require the Transportation Department to review security at foreign seaports and would allow the Coast Guard to deny entry to any ship that does not meet U.S. security standards or that arrived from an uncertified foreign port (see GSN, March 21). The legislation would also require all ships coming from other countries to notify the Coast Guard 96 hours before entering U.S. waters and would expand the Coast Guard’s zone of jurisdiction to 12 miles offshore. The bill also would require naval shipping companies to provide detailed information on cargo destined for the United States, such as content and point of origin, at least 24 hours before being loaded at a foreign port, according to a U.S. State Department press release. All ships operating in U.S. waters would have to be equipped with electronic transponders by 2005 that would identify them and their location. The bill would also limit access to secure areas in seaports to those who carried a security card to be developed by Transportation (see GSN, April 29). The bill, based on the aviation security act passed last November, would provide a legal basis for the existing “sea marshals” program, based on the “air marshals,” the release said. Sea marshal units could board ships heading into U.S. ports just before they enter in order to protect against terrorist attacks. The House legislation still needs to go through conference committee with similar legislation passed by the Senate in December, according to the release. One major difference in the two bills is that the Senate version provides $1.1 billion over five years to improve U.S. port security and $3.3 million in loan guarantees, while the House version provides $225 million over three years (U.S. State Department release, June 5).
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