Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) would make the nation’s public transit systems safe by implementing 9/11 Act oversight requirements.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general released a report in May that found that specific 9/11 Act requirements for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct oversight of rail security have not been implemented.
In response, Comstock and U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) introduced the Securing America’s Facilities, Equipment and Rail: Taking Responsibility for American National Security in Transit (SAFER TRANSIT) Act.
“Right now, three key 9/11 Act passenger rail requirements still remain incomplete,” Comstock and Lipinski said in a joint statement. “With ever-growing security concerns across the nation, our bill directs the TSA to develop a process to follow through on these important security provisions.”
The TSA currently deploys Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) at strategic transportation locations to enhance law enforcement and deter terrorism. Authorization for VIPR teams and surface transportation security inspectors, however, lapsed in 2011.
The SAFER TRANSIT Act would reauthorize the VIPR program and establish a security-specific training program at the DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Center that would be available to local law enforcers.
“The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) welcomes expanded support from the Department of Homeland Security to help secure our nation’s public transportation systems,” Richard White, the acting president and CEO at APTA, said. “The SAFER TRANSIT Act would provide additional resources to train law enforcement personnel to patrol and respond to security emergencies in and around public transit facilities, and needed funding for security related research and development. We appreciate Reps. Lipinski and Comstock’s leadership in introducing this bill.”