May 4, 2006 – Recognizing the increased necessity to carefully monitor the goods and cargo passing through our country’s ports of entry, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every Port (SAFE) Act.  The bipartisan bill will strengthen security at our nation’s major ports and help prevent terrorists from harming our country.  Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-02) today released the following statement on the SAFE Act:

“The United States of America faces an insidious terrorist ideology committed to the destruction of the Western world.  The primary constitutional duty of the federal government is protecting the citizens of America from harm and ensuring the security of our nation’s ports of entry is critical to winning this war on terror.  The passage of today’s bill is a significant step towards eliminating weaknesses in our defense system.  This is necessary because it has become clear that terrorists will continue their relentless pursuit to exploit our vulnerabilities,” said Franks.

H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE) will:

• Require the Department of Homeland Security to deploy nuclear and radiological inspection systems at 22 U.S. ports by the end of fiscal year 2007 and to establish standard inspection procedures for shipping containers;
• Provide $400 million per year to strengthen port security to prevent terrorist attacks; and
• Establish training programs to ensure that our first responders, longshoremen, and port management possess the tools they need to protect our ports. 

Trent Franks is the Congressman from the 2nd Congressional District of Arizona.  He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Judiciary Committee and Vice Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee.