On October 13, 2006, President Bush signed the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act into law. The President’s remarks on the SAFE Port Act are quoted below, with highlights added:
"The SAFE Port Act will build on progress and help us protect our ports in three key ways. First, the SAFE Port Act will strengthen physical security measures at our ports by helping us harness the power of technology. The bill authorizes the development of 21st century inspection equipment, so that Customs agents can check inside cargo containers for dangerous materials without having to open them. The bill also requires radiation detection technology at our 22 busiest ports by the end of next year. America has the best technology in the world, and with this bill we will apply that technology to make our ports the safest in the world.
Second, the SAFE Port Act provides legislative authority for key elements of our port security strategy. The bill codifies into law the Container Security Initiative, which we launched in 2002. Through this initiative, we have deployed American inspectors to dozens of foreign ports on five continents where they are screening cargo before it leaves for our country.
The bill also codifies into law the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, a joint effort between the public and private sectors to improve cargo security. Under this partnership, private shippers agree to improve their own security measures, and in return, they can receive benefits including expedited clearance through our ports.
And the bill provides additional authority for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, which we established to guard against the threat of terrorists smuggling a nuclear device into our country."
According to the Fact Sheet on The SAFE Port Act of 2006 published by the Committee on Homeland Security, changes to C-TPAT included the following:
- Strengthens the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, which creates partnerships between DHS and the private sector to establish transparency in the supply chain, enhance security measures, and encourage greater information sharing;
- Sets minimum standards for C-TPAT participation and divides program membership into tiered categories, based on the level of each country’s security cooperation;
- Establishes a top tier for the most trusted private sector partners participating in the C-TPAT program, which will provide additional processing benefits in exchange for greater security cooperation; and
- Authorizes the Secretary of DHS to loan detection equipment and provide training to host nations to effectively examine containers bound for the United States.
The full text of the Bill can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/ (search for H.R.4954).