Washington - Congressional negotiators working to hammer out a final version of the bill to implement the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations have come to an agreement on cargo screening provisions with the goal of 100% screening for cargo entering U.S. ports within five years. The measure was spurred in part by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez's (D-NJ) efforts in the Senate toward 100% cargo screening, as well as a provision in the House version of the bill.

"Our ports and the tons upon tons of cargo entering through them are where our nation could be most vulnerable," said Menendez. "Anyone who has visited our ports in New Jersey is well aware of that. We should be doing everything we can as quick as we can to get 100 percent of cargo containers screened. This bill takes us in that direction, and I will continue to keep the pressure on until we get there."

Menendez was able to attach the Senate version's only cargo screening amendment, which required the Secretary of Homeland Security to report on efforts to achieve 100% screening.

The negotiated legislation will require the screening of all cargo by 2012, although the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend that deadline under certain circumstances.

Homeland grants

The negotiators also came to an agreement to lower the minimum each state will receive from the state homeland security grant program from .75 percent of the total to .375 percent, and eventually to .35 percent. This means that more money will be available to distribute based on risk, which is expected to help high-threat states like New Jersey. Menendez was part of a core group of Senators who pushed to lower the minimums.

"This is significant progress toward the goal of total risk-based funding," said Menendez. "The 9/11 commission itself said homeland security grants should not be treated as pork, and ensuring that more money will go to states facing the highest threat takes us in that direction."

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