[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 117 (Friday, September 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE SECURE DOMESTIC CONTAINER PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 2004

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                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 2004

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask for unanimous 
consent to address the House for 5 minutes.
  I want to bring to the attention of this Congress, legislation that I 
have introduced today--The Secure Domestic Container Partnership Act of 
2004.
  This legislation directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to create 
a pilot program that encourages shipping handlers to seal empty 
shipping containers after they have unpacked them.
  Under this pilot program, the Secretary may authorize a shipper, 
cargo carrier, freight forwarder, terminal operator, port authority, or 
labor organization that is a qualified container handler to secure 
under a seal approved by the Secretary, a shipping container that is 
emptied by the person.
  It is my strong belief that this program, when fully implemented, 
will do so much for securing our supply chain, reducing congestion 
around our ports and intermodal centers while offering our shippers the 
opportunity to actively participate in securing our home front, our 
economic supply chain, our transportation infrastructure, and most 
importantly our communities.
  Last month in response to the 9/11 Commission Report, the Maritime 
and Coast Guard Subcommittee took testimony from panelists responding 
to the Commission's findings and directives.
  A scenario, presented to our committee that characterized ``cargo 
containers as a poor man's missile,'' struck me as all too real. In 
southern California, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles imported 
68,000 containers a week in 2003. Combine exports and imports for 2003 
and you have 125,000 containers that come in, out and through the most 
populous region in the country with 17 million residents and growing--
and with many high risk targets. Our streets, our communities, our rail 
infrastructure at any time are supporting full and empty containers.
  Containers are as common in southern California as lawyers are in 
Washington, DC. Look around you and you will know what I mean.
  Now, if a container were to be compromised, empty or full, it would 
call into question the integrity of all containers on our highways and 
railways that travel along our entire transportation infrastructure and 
throughout our communities.
  Placing a seal on an empty container is a cost effective commonsense 
solution that further strengthens the partnership between the shipping 
community and the Department of Homeland Security against the on-going 
war on terrorism.
  Specifically, I would recommend that the Customs-Trade Partnership 
Against Terrorism or C-TPAT administer this program.
  This initiative, under the Customs and Border Protection Doctorate at 
the Department of Homeland Security, has a proven track record of doing 
great things with securing our supply line.
  Through the C-TPAT initiative, Customs has been working in 
partnership with companies and carriers involved in importing goods 
into the United States.
  Companies are asked to assess the vulnerabilities of their supply 
chains and to work with Customs to address any vulnerability.
  In short, the C-TPAT initiative is the equivalent to the trusted 
traveler program for goods that the FAA is currently implementing for 
passengers.
  The C-TPAT initiative would be an excellent partner and I would 
encourage the Secretary to take my recommendation.
  Like the C-TPAT initiative, the pilot program created by enactment of 
The Secure Domestic Container Partnership Act of 2004 would be purely 
voluntary on the part of shippers.
  This is a win/win for business, our transportation system, and our 
communities.
  I ask my colleagues to strongly support the ``The Secure Domestic 
Container Partnership Act of 2004.''

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