1.This Act may be cited as the
Air Cargo Security
Act
.
2.Inspection of
cargo carried aboard all-cargo aircraftSection 44901 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended—
(1)by redesignating
subsections (g)
and (h)
as subsections
(h)
and (i)
, respectively; and
(2)by inserting after
subsection (f) the following:
(g)Air cargo on
all-Cargo aircraft
(1)The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish
systems to inspect cargo to ensure the security of all such cargo transported
in all-cargo aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air carrier in air
transportation or intrastate air transportation.
(2)The systems referred to in paragraph (1) shall require,
at a minimum, that equipment, technology, procedures, personnel or other
methods approved by the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration, are used to screen cargo carried on all-cargo aircraft by such
a carrier to provide a level of security commensurate with the level of
security for the screening of passenger checked baggage in accordance to the
implementation schedule set forth in paragraph (3).
(3)The Secretary shall ensure that—
(A)not later than 18
months after the date of enactment of the Air Cargo Security Act, 50 percent of
cargo described in paragraph (1) is screened; and
(B)not later than 3
years after the date of enactment of such Act, 100 percent of such cargo is
screened.
(4)Research and
development of new technologiesThe Secretary shall monitor and
evaluate the research and development of effective cargo screening
technologies.
.
3.
(a)Subchapter I of chapter 449 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
44922.Regular
inspections of air cargo shipping facilities
(a)Not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of the Air Cargo Security Act, the Secretary
of Homeland Security shall—
(1)establish a system
for the regular inspection of shipping facilities for shipments of cargo
transported in air transportation or intrastate air transportation to ensure
that appropriate security controls, systems, and protocols are observed;
and
(2)enter into
arrangements with the civil aviation authorities, or other appropriate
officials, of foreign countries to ensure that inspections are conducted on a
regular basis at shipping facilities for cargo transported in air
transportation to the United States.
(b)In this section, screening
means using the
methods of screening described in section 44901(g).
(c)Not
later than 210 days after the date of enactment of the Air Cargo Security Act
and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report
that states—
(1)the number of
shipping facilities that have been inspected;
(2)the number of
facilities that are not in compliance with appropriate security controls,
systems, and protocols;
(3)specific
consequences imposed for a facility not in compliance as determined by the
Secretary; and
(4)the number of
arrangements entered into with civilian authorities, other appropriate
officials, of foreign countries to ensure regular inspections are conducted for
cargo transported in air transportation to the United
States.
.
(b)The Secretary may increase the number of inspectors as
necessary to implement the requirements of title 49, United States Code, as
amended
by this Act.
(c)The chapter analysis for chapter 449 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
44922. Regular inspections of air cargo
shipping
facilities.
.
4.Training program
for cargo handlersThe
Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish a training and evaluation
program for any persons that handle air cargo to ensure that the cargo is
properly handled and safeguarded from security breaches.
5.Except as otherwise
provided, this Act and the amendments made in this Act shall take effect 180
days after the date of enactment of this Act.