Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 27, 2000
Port and Maritime Security Act of 2000 - Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard, in cooperation with the Maritime Administration and the U.S. Customs Service, to establish a Port Security Task Force to: (1) coordinate programs to enhance the security and safety of U.S. seaports; (2) coordinate the security operations of local seaport security committees; (3) develop standards and procedures for the conduct and triennial review and revision, if necessary, of seaport security threat assessments for U.S. seaports, including collection, maintenance, and dissemination of seaport infrastructure and overt-security equipment maps and charts; and (4) develop voluntary minimum security guidelines, linked to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain-of-the-Port controls for maritime trade, which include a model seaport concept and a set of recommended best practices guidelines for the use of maritime terminal operators. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 6) Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to guarantee loans for seaport security infrastructure improvements at any U.S. seaport involved in international trade. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 7) Requires the U.S. Customs Service to establish a competitive matching grant program for half the cost of developing technology to enhance security at U.S. seaports. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 8) Amends the International Maritime and Post Security Act to require the Secretary to report annually on maritime security and terrorism.(Sec. 9) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Maritime Administration, to publish a revised version of the "Port Security: A National Planning Guide" and make it available on the Internet.(Sec. 10) Directs the U.S. Coast Guard to establish seaport security committees to: (1) utilize the information made available under this Act; (2) implement port security threat assessments; and (3) implement security guidelines. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 11) Directs the Attorney General to coordinate the collection of port-related crime data. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 12) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Attorney General to work with each other, the Task Force, and the States to establish shared dockside inspection facilities at U.S. seaports for Federal and State agencies. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 13) Directs the U.S. Customs Service to: (1) require all ocean manifests to be transmitted to the Service in electronic form in sufficient time for its effective use; (2) require all entries of goods, including in-bond entries, to provide to the Service the same information required for entries of goods released into U.S. commerce before the goods are released for shipment from the seaport of first arrival; and (3) distribute such information on a real-time basis to any Federal, State, or local government agency with a regulatory or law-enforcement interest in the goods.(Sec. 14) Amends Federal shipping law to reauthorize specified tonnage duties.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze S.2965 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine S.2965 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine S.2965 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine S.2965 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.