§941 Strategic plan to enhance the security of the international supply chain

Summary

The Secretary must create, carry out, and update every three years a plan to make the movement of shipping containers across borders more secure. The Secretary must work with federal, state, local, and tribal governments and with private companies that handle cargo. The plan must say who is responsible for what, find gaps or overlaps in those duties, and recommend any legal or organizational changes to improve coordination. It must set clear, measurable goals with steps and a schedule, use available resources while weighing costs and benefits, and offer incentives for voluntary cargo security steps. The plan must also consider effects on small and medium businesses, include a way to share intelligence and information with the private sector, describe a measured response to security incidents, and include protocols for quickly getting trade moving again under section 942. It must link to other security programs and existing national maritime and emergency plans, and provide ways for agencies and the private sector to coordinate on law enforcement actions, rerouting, and infrastructure issues during incidents. When making the restart-of-trade protocols, the Secretary must consult with federal, state, local, and private stakeholders, including the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee and the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee, and should use advisory committees like the Homeland Security Advisory Committee to review drafts where possible. The Secretary is encouraged to consider standards used by foreign governments and groups such as the International Maritime Organization, World Customs Organization, International Labor Organization, and ISO. The full plan had to be sent to the appropriate congressional committees within 270 days after October 13, 2006. Updates must be sent within 270 days after October 5, 2018, and every three years after that.