Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007

Floor Speech

RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ACT OF 2007

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Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I want to thank Chairmen OBERSTAR and THOMPSON for working together to bring this important legislation to the floor.

For too long, we have neglected the security of our rail and transit system, and this legislation will go a long way to make up for this.

March 11 marked the third anniversary of the train bombing in Madrid, where 191 people were killed and 2,050 were injured. Since that terrible terrorist attack, additional bombings have occurred in London and India, killing hundreds more people. It is obvious that we must be ready for a similar attack here in our own country, but, sadly, we are not.

Mr. Chairman, each year more Americans ride on rail and transit systems than they do on planes, yet the money we are putting in security is a mere fraction of what we devote to aviation security. In 2006, the Federal Government spent $4.7 billion for airline security, yet only $136 million for rail and transit systems. Five times more people take trains over planes each day, yet we spend 35 times more on aviation security than we do on rail and transit security. This is not acceptable.

Chairman DEFAZIO and I recently held a hearing on rail and transit security, and what we found was discouraging. Since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has failed to issue a strategy to secure our rail and transit infrastructure, and the Transportation Security Administration has not completed a risk assessment of these systems.

Additionally, the rash of international terrorist bombings means that terrorists are getting smarter. Their future attacks will be harder to prevent. The window to secure our rail and transit infrastructure is closing quickly, and we need to act. While the Department of Transportation has done the most work of all agencies to secure this segment, it is obvious that much more work needs to be done.

I am glad that the manager's amendment will require DHS to work with the DOT to improve our Nation's rail and transit security system. It is hard to believe that almost 6 years after 9/11 we still have not addressed the rail and transit security. But election brings changes, and I am glad that we, the new congressional leadership, have common sense to take steps to protect the millions of people who use our Nation's many rail and transit systems.

The legislation on the floor today takes important steps to address our Nation's rail and transit security. This bill requires comprehensive security plans, strengthens whistleblower protection for workers, mandates security training, improves communications and intelligence sharing, authorizes a high level of grant funding for Amtrak, the freight railroads and public transit providers, and provides funding for safety improvements to the tunnels in New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Most importantly, it ensures our communities, first responders, transit and rail workers have the resources they need to keep their systems safe and secure; and it does it through a coordinated effort between the Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation.

While we may lag behind other countries' efforts to protect transit and rail workers, I am glad that our new congressional leadership is taking steps to correct this problem.

H.R. 1401 will go a long way to protect our Nation's millions of transit and rail passengers, while protecting the communities they travel through and keeping the trains running on time.

I encourage my colleagues to safeguard their constituents and support this long-overdue rail and security legislation.

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Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. This amendment jeopardizes the safety and security of over 2 million Amtrak passengers and is a huge step backwards in protecting the Nation's transportation infrastructure from harm.

Amtrak was a first responder during Hurricane Katrina, delivering food and supplies and helping to evacuate thousands of gulf region residents when President Bush and his administration were nowhere to be found. Now they are becoming a key part in each State's future evacuation plan.

I was in New York City shortly after September 11 when the plane leaving JFK airport crashed into the Bronx. Along with many of my other colleagues in both the House and the Senate, I took Amtrak back to Washington. I realized once again just how important Amtrak is to the American people and how important it is for this Nation to have alternate modes of transportation.

Vote ``no'' on this amendment.

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