Security and Accountability for Every Port Act

SECURITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EVERY PORT ACT -- (Senate - September 11, 2006)

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The Senator from Alaska [Mr. STEVENS], for himself, Mr. Inouye, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Lautenberg, proposes an amendment numbered 4926 to amendment No. 4922.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(The amendment is printed in today's RECORD under ``Text of Amendments.'')

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this second-degree amendment offered by Senator Inouye and myself, with Senators MCCAIN and LAUTENBERG as cosponsors, simply adds the additional rail security provisions of S. 1052, the Commerce Committee's Transportation Security Improvement Act of 2005, to the McCain amendment. The provisions in the second-degree amendment address rail worker security training, rail security public awareness, hazardous materials threat mitigation, railcar tracking, and update a few of the provisions that are in Senator McCain's provisions.

Taken together with Senator McCain's Rail Security Act of 2005, which Senator McCain offered to this bill, this amendment and Senator McCain's bill will form the rail security title of S. 1052 that was unanimously supported by the Commerce Committee. It is supported by both the railroads and the rail workers, and I urge its adoption.

I again say it is an amendment cosponsored by Senator Inouye, myself, Senator McCain, and Senator Lautenberg.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I associate myself with the remarks of the Senator from Alaska, our chairman.

Mr. STEVENS. I urge the adoption of the second-degree amendment.

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AMENDMENT NO. 4927 TO AMENDMENT NO. 4921

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment proposed by Senator DeMint for Senator Inouye and myself, to the amendment numbered 4921, proposed by Senator DeMint. I ask it be considered.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.

The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Stevens], for Mr. DeMint, for himself, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. Inouye, proposes an amendment numbered 4927 to amendment No. 4921.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(The text of the amendment is printed in today's RECORD under ``Text of Amendments.''

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent this be considered a complete substitute for the DeMint amendment.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. STEVENS. I am pleased to offer this amendment on behalf of Senator DeMint. The second-degree amendment clarifies some issues in the legislation and improves this important legislation. It has been agreed to now by Senator Inouye and myself and by Senator DeMint. I think we are closer to passing the WARN Act. We have been working for 3 years through the Homeland Security and appropriations bill to move DHS to improve the national alerting system. This amendment is a large step forward.

If the worst happens and there is a successful attack on one of our ports, we need a tool to effectively alert communities surrounding the port. The purpose of this amendment is to do just that: to move the emergency alert system out of the area of broadcast radio and television into the wireless era. We need to give the Nation an alerting system that harnesses all the capabilities of the digital age.

When disaster strikes, we know not everyone will be listening to the radio or television, but almost all Americans will be carrying a mobile phone, a Blackberry, or a PDA. There are over 200 million wireless subscribers in the United States.

This is crucial because regardless of when or where disaster strikes, be it American seaports, a rail terminal, or an airport, minutes save lives.

This amendment will provide a tool for emergency managers at all levels of Government--Federal, State, or local--so they can quickly and effectively reach all affected individuals with specific lifesaving instructions. In addition to the threat posed by terrorist attacks, this system, the system created by this amendment, will give our managers the ability to alert communities of other hazards such as natural disasters or manmade accidents.

It is already funded. I worked during last year's budget reconciliation bill to provide $106 million for this program.

I urge our colleagues to vote for the amendment and move the Nation one step forward to having a modern public safety alerting system.

I urge the adoption of this second-degree amendment.

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