Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) delivered the following statement on the House floor in support of H.R. 3619, the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which passed the House today by a 385 to 11 vote.

A few years ago, Senator Susan Collins and I toured the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  Mindful of the assault on the USS Cole, during a security briefing with the Coast Guard, I asked what sort of protections were in place to defend against threats from small boats.  The response made my jaw drop.  We were told that small boats were advised to observe a 100-foot security perimeter around large ships.  As if an imaginary “do not cross” sign would deter terrorists bent on mimicking the USS Cole attack and blowing themselves up.

Clearly, small boats continue to pose a critical security risk and deserve serious attention. 

The Manager’s Amendment to the underlying bill contains a provision, which I authored, requiring the Coast Guard to conduct a study assessing whether transponders—such as Radio Frequency ID tags—on small boats can effectively mitigate the threat of small boat attacks in major ports.  Such a system already exists in Singapore, and Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen has suggested it may work in the United States.

Transponders are not the only way to address the small boat threat—and they may not be the best—but they have the potential to greatly increase situational awareness in U.S. ports.

Beyond my small boats provision, this bill contains two other measures that I believe are critical.  One is a requirement for an Inspector General’s report evaluating port operations centers’ relationships with local, state, and regional fusion centers.  The other is a requirement for DHS to conduct a review of the potential consequences of an attack on a gasoline or chemical cargo ship in one of America’s ports.

I thank Chairman Oberstar for including my small boats provision in the Manager’s Amendment, and I must also the Rules Committee—especially my friend and California colleague for bringing the bill to the floor.