Americans Securing American Ports (ASAP) Act

Americans Securing American Ports (ASAP) Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require that only U.S. persons may: (1) control security operations at any U.S. seaport; or (2) enter into any agreement to conduct such operations. Prohibits any individual from carrying out such operations unless the Secretary has conducted a background check of, and approved, the individual.

Subjects violators of this Act to penalties imposed for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4833 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4833

    To require that only United States persons may control security 
operations at seaports in the United States or enter into agreements to 
                   conduct such security operations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2006

Mr. Doolittle introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require that only United States persons may control security 
operations at seaports in the United States or enter into agreements to 
                   conduct such security operations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Americans Securing American Ports 
(ASAP) Act''.

SEC. 2. SECURITY OPERATIONS OF U.S. SEAPORTS BY U.S. PERSONS.

    (a) Requirements.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall require 
that only United States persons may--
            (1) control security operations at any seaport in the 
        United States; or
            (2) enter into any contract or other agreement to conduct 
        such security operations.
    (b) Background Checks.--No individual may carry out security 
operations at any seaport of the United States unless the Secretary of 
Homeland Security has conducted a background check of that individual 
and approved that individual for such security operations on the basis 
of the background check.
    (c) Regulations.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to enforce the 
requirements of subsections (a) and (b), including requiring any person 
to furnish, in the form of reports or otherwise, such information as is 
necessary to enforce such requirements.
    (d) Penalties.--Any person who violates any requirement of 
subsection (a) or (b) or any regulation promulgated under subsection 
(c) shall be subject to the penalties under section 206 of the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S. 1705) to the same 
extent as such penalties apply to violations under that Act.
    (e) Employees.--Nothing in this section prohibits an alien who is 
lawfully present in the United States from performing security 
operations in the course of employment by a United States person that 
controls such security operations.
    (f) Definition.--In this section:
            (1) State.--The term ``State'' means any of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States.
            (2) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' means--
                    (A) any United States citizen;
                    (B) any person other than an individual, if United 
                States citizens own or control at least 51 percent of 
                the securities or other equity interest in such person; 
                or
                    (C) any agency or instrumentality of the Federal 
                Government or any State or local government.
            (3) United states.--The term ``United States'' means the 
        several States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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