PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 21, 2002
Reducing Crime and Terrorism at America's Seaports Act of 2002 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to: (1) increase civil and criminal financial penalties for noncompliance with manifest requirements; and (2) apply them to owners of vehicles as well as operators.Prescribes criminal penalties for intentional falsification of a certificate of origin for exports.Requires persons in charge of land, air, or vessel carriers, including their agents, who must by law present a manifest to transmit certain specified identification and inventory information pursuant to an electronic data interchange system information before lading of cargo or clearance and loading of cargo.Requires shippers of waterborne cargo loading in a U.S. port (including an ocean transportation intermediary that is a nonvessel-operating common carrier) to submit a complete set of shipping documents within 72 hours before vessel departure. Subjects undocumented goods to search, seizure and forfeiture.Directs the Customs Service to develop a uniform system of securing or sealing at loading all containers originating in or destined for the United States.Prescribes a fine and a prison sentence for endangering safety at a seaport by committing an act of violence against a person at such a location or damaging the facilities. Increases penalties for theft from customs and for theft of funds earmarked for payment of customs duties, taxes, or fees.Amends the Arms Export Control Act to extend its exemption from certain prohibitions against transactions with countries supporting international terrorism to any transaction by a U.S. law enforcement agent determined by the President to be essential to U.S. national security interests or relating to an imminent threat of harm to a U.S. person or property (especially undercover investigations into unlawful arms trafficking).Directs the Attorney General to: (1) issue regulations to require carriers and port owners or operators to report certain information about cargo thefts; and (2) create a database for such reports.
People & committees
Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE] · D–DE
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4625-4626)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 19, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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