[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 12 (Thursday, January 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1483-S1484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 208. A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
develop and implement a plan to provide security for cargo entering the 
United States or being transported in intrastate or interestate 
commerce; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation aimed 
at closing the dangerous cargo security loophole in our Nation's 
aviation security network.
  In the wake of September 11 terrorist attacks, with the passage of 
the Aviation and Security Act of 2001, we reinvented aviation security. 
We overturned the status quo, and I am proud of the work we did. We put 
the Federal Government in charge of security and we have made 
significant strides toward restoring the confidence of the American 
people that it is safe to fly.
  We no longer have a system in which the financial ``bottom line'' 
interferes with protecting the flying public. We also addressed the 
gamut of critical issues, including baggage screening, additional air 
marshals, cockpit security, and numerous other issues.
  But there is more work to be done. We must not lose focus. If we are 
to fully confront the aviation security challenges we face in the after 
math of September 11, we must remain aggressive. We need a ``must-do'' 
attitude, not excuses about what ``can't be done,'' because we are only 
as safe as the weakest link in our aviation security system.
  I believe one of the most troubling shortcomings, which persists to 
this day, is lax air cargo security infrastructure in this country. 
According to the GAO, a full 22 percent of all the cargo shipped by air 
in this country in 2000 was shipped on passenger flights and typically 
half of the hull of every passenger plane is filled with cargo. The 
Department of Transportation Inspector General has recommended that 
current air cargo controls be tightened, particularly the process for 
certifying freight forwarders and assessing their compliance with 
security requirements, and has warned that the existing screening 
system is ``easily circumvented.'' This must not be allowed to stand.

  Moreover, according to a Washington Post report last summer, Internal 
Transportation Security Administration documents warn of an increased 
risk of an attack designed to exploit this vulnerability because TSA 
has been focused primarily on meeting its new mandates to screen 
passengers and luggage.
  This is clear evidence that cargo security needs to be bolstered. And 
time is not on our side. We must act now. The bill I am introducing 
today is designed to tackle this issue by directing the TSA to submit a 
detailed cargo security plan to Congress that will address the 
shortcomings in the current system.
  And while TSA is designing and implementing this plan, my bill would 
require interim security measures to be put in place immediately. The 
interim security plan would include random screening of at least 5 
percent of all cargo, an authentication policy designed to ensure that 
terrorists are not able to impersonate legitimate shippers, audits of 
each phase of the shipping process in order to police compliance, 
training and background checks for cargo handlers, and funding for 
screening and detection equipment.
  On September 11, terrorists exposed the vulnerability of our 
commercial aviation network in the most horrific fashion. The Aviation 
and Transportation Security Act of 2001 was a major step in the right 
direction, but we must always stay one step ahead of those who would 
commit vicious acts of violence on our soil aimed at innocent men, 
women, and children.
  This bill is designed to build on the foundation we set in 2001. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in addressing this critical matter.

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