I 
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 oper-
ations. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 con-
ducted a background check of that individual and ap-
proved that individual for such security operations on the 
basis of the background check. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall promulgate such regulations as may be nec-
essary 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 re-
quirement of subsection (a) or (b) or any regulation pro-
mulgated under subsection (c) shall be subject to the pen-
alties under section 206 of the International Emergency 
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H4833
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 employ-
ment 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 in-
terest in such person; or 
(C) any agency or instrumentality of the 
Federal Government or any State or local gov-
ernment. 
(3) 
UNITED
STATES.—The 
term 
‘‘United 
States’’ means the several States, the District of Co-
lumbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or posses-
sion of the United States. 
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act shall take effect 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ