House Approves Appropriations for Department of Homeland Security

By a vote of 425-2, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the FY 2004 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (H.R. 2555).The measure was largely unchanged from that which was approved recently by the Appropriations Committee. The $29.4 billion measure includes $2 billion for Coast Guard homeland security missions, $2.611 billion for traditional Coast Guard missions, $530 million for the Deepwater acquisition project, $100 for port security grants, $129 million for cargo inspection technology, $61.7 million for the Container Security Initiative (CSI), and $12.1 million for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). During the floor debate on the bill, Representative LoBiondo (R-NJ) attempted to introduce an amendment that would have increased the Coast Guard's budget by $35 million for review and approval of security plans and by $75 million for the Deepwater Acquisition Program. The amendment was withdrawn for procedural reasons, but the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Homeland Security indicated that he would work with Mr. LoBiondo to increase such funding as the bill moves forward. Representative Obey (D-WI) introduced an amendment that would have significantly increased funding for transportation security, including the provision of $100 million to the Coast Guard to implement the Maritime Transportation Security Act. The amendment was disallowed for procedural reasons. Source: HK Law