New law sets deadlines for cargo screening, port ID cards

President Bush on Friday signed a major maritime security bill into law, setting firm deadlines for deploying new cargo screening technology and issuing U.S. port workers biometric-based identification cards.

The law "will strengthen physical security measures at our ports by helping us harness the power of technology," Bush said. "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."

Much of the bill simply authorizes what the Homeland Security Department already is doing with regard to cargo and port security. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham called the bill an "overwhelming endorsement" of existing programs.

But the measure does establish several firm deadlines. The department, for example, now must issue final regulations by Jan. 1 for a program that will screen U.S. port workers against terrorist watch lists and issue them new, secure identification cards that contain biometric elements.

The bill requires the program to be implemented at the 10 highest priority U.S. ports by July 1. The program must be in effect at the next 40 high-priority ports by Jan. 1, 2008, and at all ports by Jan. 1, 2009.

The Transportation Security Administration is developing the transportation worker identification credential, or TWIC, to meet that requirement. A TSA spokesman said the final rule for TWIC will be issued "in the coming weeks."

TSA plans to start enrolling port workers into the program by the end of the year, the spokesman said. He said TSA will identify the highest priority ports and then enroll all workers there. Every worker will be screened against terrorist watch lists, as well as for legal work status and criminal history. TSA has checked about 650,000 union and port workers against terrorist watch lists and for legal work status, the spokesman added.

The department also has to begin a test program within six months to deploy card readers at ports. Final regulations for card readers must be issued within two years of the test program.

The bill also requires the department to start test programs within the next year at three foreign ports to scan all cargo containers before they are put on ships bound for the United States. An integrated technology system must be deployed to scan cargo for radiological or nuclear materials, but the legislation does not specify what technology must be used.

Basham said this week that the department should have agreements in place with one or more of the foreign ports by the end of the year but would not specify which ones.

The measure further requires the department to issue an interim final rule within six months to establish minimum standards and procedures for securing containers in transit to the United States. All containers must meet those standards within two years.