Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) announced this week his intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to refocus port security efforts at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 

At a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, which he chairs, Rockefeller said the upcoming bill would target critical needs such as small vessel security, hazardous cargo shipping and global supply chain security. The bill would further reauthorize the DHS Port Security Grant Program to provide federal assistance to U.S. seaports and would strive to address key security gaps and lessons learned in recent years.

 

The new bill would build upon the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-347) and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (PL 107-295).