House Approves Bill to Protect Nation's Ports

House Approves Bill to Protect Nation's Ports

The United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every Port (SAFE) Act, today. Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson and C.L. "Butch" Otter joined colleagues from both sides of the aisle and supported passage of this bill. Congress recognizes the increased need to carefully monitor the goods and cargo passing through our country's ports of entry to help prevent terrorists from harming our country.

Simpson, a member of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, has visited a number of domestic and international ports to assess their infrastructure and security challenges said, "Ports are essential for trade, industry, and life. They can also be used to traffic illegal drugs, weapons and terrorists into our country. Today's bill will strengthen security at our major ports and make it inherently more difficult for terrorists to use as an avenue to do harm."

"With Idaho's economy dependent on trade to the tune of tens of millions of dollars a year, ports are among the most important and most vulnerable areas of our homeland. They are the conduits of commerce for our lifestyle and livelihoods, and their security has been taken far too lightly for too long," said Congressman Otter, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. "The recent controversy over foreign management of ports was a much-needed wakeup call. I'm pleased that Congress is responding in a constructive and meaningful way."

http://www.house.gov/list/press/id02_simpson/nations_ports.html