“This funding bill addresses many aspects critical to safeguarding our homeland and our communities. September 11th introduced us to the realm of the possible – and today, we are rightly cautious of our individual safety and the security of our nation,” Snowe said. “Increased funding of Homeland Security initiatives, especially at the state and local levels, will enable greater preparedness and response should future terrorist threats arise.”

Snowe highlighted the following key provisions to enhance security in Maine and throughout the nation:

Rail Security - $150 million in Rail and Transit security grants, plus an additional $15 million set-aside within the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) FY2005 budget specifically for rail security initiatives. Additionally, nearly $24 million was allocated for high explosive countermeasures on commuter and passenger rail networks.

An advocate for enhanced security within the nation’s rail transportation network, Snowe authored key provisions of the “Rail Transportation Security Act”, including a passenger and baggage screening pilot program currently being implemented at several rail stations along the East Coast. In May, Snowe joined with U.S. Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE) in requesting Congressional appropriators allocate $125 million in grants and a $15 million set-aside in TSA’s FY2005 budget for rail security.

Coast Guard Integrated Deepwater System – $776 million for the Coast Guard’s Integrated Deepwater System which is the agency’s program to recapitalize its aging fleet of cutters and aircraft. As Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Snowe has worked to increase funding for Deepwater for this modernization plan to be accelerated. This $776 million figure is a $112 million increase over the President Bush’s proposed budget, but less than the $1.1 billion Senator Snowe and 13 other Senators have advocated for.

“The Deepwater program is critical to the Coast Guard’s homeland security mission. With new cutters and surveillance assets, the Coast Guard will also continue to perform its traditional duties of search and rescue, drug interdiction, and fisheries enforcement with greater success,” Snowe said.

Aviation Security - The bill includes $5.16 billion for TSA’s aviation security activities, including $2.6 billion for passenger screening; $161 million for airport support and enforcement presence; and $43 million to further enhance the screening of air cargo.

Port and Container Security - The bill also includes $276 million for maritime and container security. This figure includes $150 million for port security grants and $126 million for the Container Security initiative. Snowe has long advocated for greater security measures to be employed at the nation’s ports, particularly in the screening of shipping containers arriving into the U.S.

“Our seaports are natural ‘ports of entry’ for all weapons meant to bring destruction to our homeland and I have been leading efforts to increase pre-screening of U.S. bound cargo containers. However, I believe that we need to go a step further and insist that U.S. personnel physically inspect potentially dangerous cargo at the foreign port of origin even before it is loaded onto ships en route to the U.S.,” Snowe said. “The 21,000 containers that arrive at U.S. ports everyday pose a potential threat to homeland security. During these extremely uncertain times with a heightened threat level, now is the time to close this glaring loophole and ensure the integrity of maritime security.”

Snowe has long been a supporter of increasing cargo security and was an early supporter of the U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI), which mirrored Snowe’s Maritime Security Advancement Act, which aimed to

< Establish security criteria to identify high-risk containers;

< Pre-screen containers before they arrive in the U.S.;

< Use technology to pre-screen high-risk containers; and

< Develop and use smart and secure containers.