(1) APPROVAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall approve minimum stand-
ards for high security container seals that—
(A) meet or exceed the American Society 
for Testing Materials Level D seals; 
(B) permit each seal to have a unique 
identification number; and 
(C) contain an electronic tag that can be 
read electronically at a seaport. 
(2) REQUIREMENT FOR USE.—Within 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security shall deny entry of a 
vessel into the United States if the containers car-
ried by the vessel are not sealed with a high security 
container seal approved under paragraph (1). 
(b) IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.—
(1) 
REQUIREMENT.—A 
shipment 
that 
is 
shipped to or from the United States either directly 
or via a foreign port shall have a designated uni-
versal transaction number. 
(2) TRACKING.—The person responsible for the 
security of a container shall record the universal 
transaction number assigned to the shipment under 
paragraph (1), as well as any seal identification
number on the container, at every port of entry and 
point at which the container is transferred from one 
conveyance to another conveyance. 
(c) PILOT PROGRAM.—
(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity is authorized to award grants to eligible enti-
ties to develop an improved seal for cargo containers 
that—
(A) permit the immediate detection of tam-
pering with the seal; 
(B) permit the immediate detection of tam-
pering with the walls, ceiling, or floor of a con-
tainer that indicates a person is attempting to 
improperly access the container; and 
(C) transmit information regarding tam-
pering with the seal, walls, ceiling, or floor of 
the container in real time to the appropriate au-
thorities at a remote location. 
(2) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity seeking 
a grant under this subsection shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such man-
ner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may reasonably require. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means any national laboratory,
nonprofit private organization, institution of higher 
education, or other entity that the Secretary deter-
mines is eligible to receive a grant authorized by 
paragraph (1). 
(d) EMPTY CONTAINERS.—
(1) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary of Home-
land Security shall prescribe in regulations require-
ments for certification of empty containers that are 
to be shipped to or from the United States either di-
rectly or via a foreign port. Such regulations shall 
require that an empty container—
(A) be inspected and certified as empty 
prior to being loaded onto a vessel for transpor-
tation to a United States seaport; and 
(B) be sealed with a high security con-
tainer seal approved under subsection (a)(1) to 
enhance the security of United States seaports. 
SEC. 235. OFFICE AND INSPECTION FACILITIES. 
(a) OPERATIONAL SPACE IN SEAPORTS.—Each enti-
ty that owns or operates a United States seaport that re-
ceives cargo from a foreign country, whether govern-
mental, quasi-governmental, or private, shall provide to 
the Directorate permanent office and inspection space 
within the seaport that is sufficient for the Directorate
officers at the seaport to carry out their responsibilities. 
Such office and inspection space—
(1) shall be provided at no cost to the Direc-
torate; and 
(2) may be located outside the terminal area of 
the seaport. 
(b) INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall maintain permanent inspection 
facilities that utilize available inspection technology in the 
space provided at each seaport pursuant to subsection (a). 
SEC. 236. SECURITY GRANTS TO SEAPORTS. 
(a) CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall use the proportion of the contain-
erized imports that are received at a United States seaport 
as a factor to be considered when determining whether to 
select that seaport for award of a competitive grant for 
security. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CONTAINERIZED IMPORTS.—The term ‘‘con-
tainerized imports’’ means the number of twenty-
foot equivalent units of containerized imports that 
enter the United States annually through a United 
States seaport as estimated by the Bureau of Trans-
portation Statistics of the Department of Transpor-
tation. 
(2) COMPETITIVE GRANT FOR SECURITY.—The 
term ‘‘competitive grant for security’’ means a grant 
of Federal financial assistance that the Secretary of 
Homeland Security is authorized to award to a 
United States seaport for the purpose of enhancing 
security at the seaport, including a grant of funds 
appropriated under the heading ‘‘BORDER
AND 
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY’’ in title II of the De-
partment of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 
2005 (Public Law 108–334). 
TITLE III—AUTHORIZATION 
SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attor-
ney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security such 
sums as are necessary to carry out this Act. Sums author-
ized to be appropriated under this section are authorized 
to remain available until expended.
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