With 361 sea and river ports that receive and distribute 95% of the nation's cargo, the United States economic strength is dependent upon vigilant port security efforts. The mission of the Caucus is to identify port security concerns and make legislative recommendations while ensuring that government partners with private industry to keep commerce flowing.
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) represents the state of Maine that has numerous ports along 3,500 miles of continuous coastline, including the Port of Portland, which is the largest throughport in New England in terms of tonnage.
"Port security has not received the attention it deserves nor the funding that is needed," said Senator Collins. "The Port Security caucus is committed to ensuring that the Coast Guard and port authorities from coast to coast have the resources they need to keep our communities, local businesses, shipping infrastructure, fishermen, and recreational boaters safe. We will continue to advocate in Congress for increased port security funding. We will also fight to preserve a competitive grant program dedicated to port security."
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) is the co-chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over transportation security and maritime commerce. As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and the Merchant Marine, Inouye played a critical, leadership role in the creation and enactment of the landmark Maritime Transportation Security Act. Representing the island state of Hawaii since 1963, Inouye is the third most senior member of the Senate.
"Hawaii's fate and good fortune depend on the flow of maritime commerce and superior port security," said Senator Inouye. "There is still so much that needs to be done to ensure that our port system is as secure as possible, and I'm confident that the Port Security Caucus will play a pivotal role in raising public awareness on this issue. Through the Caucus, we can also help educate our Congressional colleagues about the dramatic vulnerabilities that still remain and what we must do together to address them."
Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) represents Maryland's 2nd Congressional District that includes the Port of Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore directly employs 16,000 workers, indirectly employs an additional 17,000 people, and generates $1.5 billion in revenue annually. "The Port of Baltimore is one of Maryland's biggest economic engines. To ensure that the Port of Baltimore and other Ports across the country are successful in the future, I believe we must bring together government and the private sector to balance the needs of security with the needs of business. The Port Security Caucus gives Congress a forum to work through these important issues," said Congressman Ruppersberger.
Congressman Henry Brown (R-SC) represents South Carolina's 1st Congressional District that includes the Port of Georgetown and the Port of Charleston, the fourth-largest container port in the country and site of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff's first field visit on March 14th.
"The Port of Charleston is a model for the successful integration of security measures that have minimal negative impact on commercial shipping operations," said Congressman Brown. "Charleston is the home of Project Seahawk, the nation's first port security command and control center. I look forward to using the Port Security Caucus as a forum to present the lessons learned as this state-of-the-art technology is developed."
The Port Security Caucus was founded in 2003 to provide a bi-cameral, bi-partisan Congressional effort to address security concerns at our nation's ports after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
The Port Security Caucus will post a schedule of Caucus events, articles, and other relevant information on the following web page: http://www.dutch.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=10265&type=News
####