John Kerry: “allow me to congratulate our distinguished chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator Hollings, for his outstanding…”

“allow me to congratulate our distinguished chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator Hollings, for his outstanding work in putting together S. 1214, The Maritime and Port Security Improvement Act. I also wish to congratulate Senators Graham and McCain for all of their hard work in moving this very important legislation that is crucial to homeland defense. I also wish to recognize Carl Bentzel of the Commerce Committee for his years of hard work in putting this legislation together. I thank Senator Hollings for including several provisions from S. 1589, the Port Threat and Security Act of 2001, in the final version of his bill. If I may, I would like to discuss the provisions from S. 1589 that were included in the final version of S. 1214. Senator Breaux and I recently held oversight hearings before our respective Subcommittees on the Coast Guard and its role in improving maritime security after the terrible attacks of September 11. As Senators Hollings and Breaux well know, even before September 11 our maritime and port security was in sorry shape. However, the attacks on New York and Washington made it clear we need to go farther afield to guard against terrorism and other crimes. We need to improve our base of information to identify bad actors throughout the maritime realm. A provision of the bill would help us identify those nations whose vessels and vessel registration procedures pose potential threats to our national security.”