House Passes Port-Security Bill

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he House overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to screen most incoming cargo for radiation at U.S. ports, the Associated Press reported.

The 421-2 vote capped months of debate in Congress over how to make the 140 U.S. seaports less vulnerable to terrorism without curbing commerce, thought the Bush administration cited some cost and technology concerns, AP said.

President Bush in a statement said he was pleased with the bill, but the Office of Management and Budget picked said the $5.5 billion plan would have “serious resource implications" in putting detectors at 22 major ports by next year, as the legislation requires, AP reported.

OMB also said a $400 million annual grant program over six years to pay for other security measures was unnecessary. The bill does not provide funds for such extra security measures.

House Democrats said the legislation does not go far enough to secure ports as they pushed an alternative that would require X-rays for all cargo at foreign ports that is headed to the United States, AP reported.

The Department of Homeland Security now inspects about 6% of the 11 million cargo containers that enter U.S. ports annually. It checks containers considered high-risk, based on such reasons as the port of origin or a particular shipper’s history, AP said.

HS is planning to 65% of goods for radiological materials by October, a department spokeswoman told AP.