[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E443-E444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ``GAUGING AMERICAN PORT SECURITY'' OR GAPS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANICE HAHN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the lessons of 9/11 have taught us that we 
must continuously be vigilant in proactively seeking out and preventing 
our country's most pressing threats. That is why after 9/11, Congress 
began to shine a spotlight on previously ignored issues such as border 
security, airport security and strengthening identification procedures. 
However, an area that continues to be ignored is port security.
  In the U.S., tens of thousands of ships each year make over 50,000 
calls on U.S. ports. These ships carry the bulk of the approximately 
two billion tons of freight, three billion tons of oil transports, and 
134 million passengers by ferry each year.
  The volume of traffic gives terrorists opportunities to smuggle 
themselves or their weapons into the United States with little risk of 
detection. According to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations, 
in May 2002 there were reports that twenty-five Islamist extremists 
entered the United States by hiding in shipping containers.
  This highlights the need for an immediate legislative solution to 
counter this problem. However, it is difficult to come up with an 
effective solution without first knowing all of the potential dangers.
  That is why I am reintroducing the Gauging American Port Security 
(GAPS) Act. The GAPS Act addresses these problems by requiring that the 
Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report to 
Congress on the current weaknesses and vulnerabilities of U.S. ports 
and ensures that DHS develops a comprehensive plan for addressing them. 
Only by focusing on the specific dangers that threaten our port 
security, can we develop effective solutions to ensure our nation is 
prepared for any and all types of attacks.

[[Page E444]]



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