89–006 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 116–93 

STRENGTHENING LOCAL TRANSPORTATION SECURITY 

CAPABILITIES ACT OF 2019 

MAY 30, 2019.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, from the Committee on Homeland 

Security, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 2539] 

The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2539) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to 

prioritize the assignment of certain officers and intelligence analysts from the Transportation Security Administration and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland 

Security to locations with participating State, local, and regional 

fusion centers in jurisdictions with a high-risk surface transportation asset in order to enhance the security of such assets, including by improving timely sharing of classified information regarding 

terrorist and other threats, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 2 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 3 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 3 

C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax 

Expenditures ........................................................................................................ 4 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 4 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 4 

Duplicative Federal Programs ................................................................................ 4 

Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits ... 4 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 4 

Advisory Committee Statement ..............................................................................

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 4 

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PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of H.R. 2539, the Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2019, is to improve threat information sharing and law enforcement training for surface transportation security. This bill requires the Secretary of the Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize the assignment of officers 

and intelligence analysts from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis 

(I&A) to fusion centers in jurisdictions with high-risk surface transportation assets, in order to participate in the generation and dissemination of intelligence products, and to make security clearances available to appropriate stakeholders. This bill also enables 

the Secretary to develop a training program through the Federal 

Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) to enhance the protection, preparedness, and response capabilities of law enforcement 

agencies for terrorism incidents at surface transportation assets. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

In the surface transportation sector, State and local law enforcement, as well as owners and operators of transportation assets, 

play a major role in securing the traveling public. A common complaint from stakeholders is that TSA and other Federal government partners do not provide sufficient information for them to 

adequately prepare for threats. Much of the needed information is 

classified, and many stakeholders lack the necessary security clearances to receive such information. Introduced by Nanette Barraga ́n 

(D–CA), H.R. 2539 seeks to address these issues by increasing information sharing and making security clearances available to appropriate stakeholders. 

Additionally, this bill seeks to assist surface transportation asset 

owners and operators to secure their systems by developing a training program for law enforcement with a focus on surface transportation threats. It is imperative that TSA collaborate with both public and private stakeholders in order to sufficiently overcome the 

unique challenges to securing surface transportation. This bill will 

ensure that TSA improves its relationships with transportation facility stakeholders, as well as state and local law enforcement. 

HEARINGS

The Committee did not hold a legislative hearing on H.R. 2539 

in the 116th Congress. However, this legislation was informed by 

a joint Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security and 

Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation hearing on February 22, 2019, entitled, ‘‘Securing U.S. 

Surface Transportation from Cyber Attacks.’’ The Subcommittees 

received testimony from Ms. Sonya Proctor, Director of Surface Division, Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement, TSA; 

Mr. Bob Kolasky, Director of National Risk Management Center, 

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; Mr. James 

Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director, Technology Policy Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies; Ms. Rebecca 

Gagliostro, Director of Security, Reliability and Resilience, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America; Mr. Erik Robert Olson, 

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Vice President, Rail Security Alliance; and Mr. John Hultquist, Director of Intelligence Analysis, FireEye. 

This legislation was also informed by a joint Subcommittee on 

Transportation and Protective Security and Subcommittee on 

Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications hearing 

on January 30, 2018 entitled ‘‘Securing our Surface Transportation 

Systems: Examining the Department of Homeland Security’s Role 

in Surface Transportation Technologies.’’ The Subcommittee received testimony from Ms. Sonya Proctor, Director of Surface Division, Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement, Transportation Security Administration; Mr. Robert Pryor, Director of Intermodal Division, Office of Requirements and Capabilities Analysis, 

Transportation Security Administration; Mr. Donald E. Roberts, 

Program Manager of Explosive Threat Detection, Explosives Division, Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, DHS 

Science and Technology Directorate; and Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins, Director, National Transportation Security Center of Excellence, Mineta Transportation Institute. 

Finally, this legislation was also informed by a Subcommittee on 

Transportation and Protective Security hearing on November 28, 

2017 entitled ‘‘Securing Public Areas of Transportation Systems: 

Stakeholder Perspectives.’’ The Subcommittee received testimony 

from Mr. Charles Cunningham, Director of Homeland Security and 

Emergency Management, Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) 

Public Safety/PATCO; Mr. Thomas J. Nestel, III, Chief of Transit 

Police, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority 

(SEPTA); Mr. Douglas Lemanowicz, Lieutenant of Special Operations Section, New Jersey State Police; and Mr. Christopher 

Trucillo, Chief of Transit Police, New Jersey Transit. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

The Committee met on May 15, 2019, with a quorum being 

present, to consider H.R. 2539 and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, without 

amendment, by unanimous consent. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. 

No recorded votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 

2539. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the findings 

and recommendations of the Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report. 

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CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to requirements 

of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 

1974, the Committee has requested but not received a cost estimate 

for this bill from the Director of Congressional Budget Office. 

The Committee has requested but not received from the Director 

of the Congressional Budget Office a statement as to whether this 

bill contains any new budget authority, spending authority, credit 

authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

An estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of the 

Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chairman of the 

Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee. 

DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds that 

H.R. 2539 does not contain any provision that establishes or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another Federal program. 

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 2539 seeks to 

improve threat information sharing and law enforcement training 

for transportation security. 

ADVISORY ON EARMARKS

In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 

clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of the rule XXI. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that this bill may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2019’’. 

Sec. 2. Definitions 

This section defines the terms used in this act including: ‘‘public 

and private sector stakeholders’’ and ‘‘surface transportation asset’’. 

Sec. 3. Threat information sharing 

This section requires the DHS Secretary to prioritize the locations of officers and intelligence analysts to jurisdictions that have 

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a high-risk surface transportation asset in order to enhance the security of such assets and improve timely information sharing regarding terrorist threats. These locations are jurisdictions with 

participating State, local, and regional fusion centers. 

Additionally, this section requires these officers and analysts to 

participate in generating and disseminating transportation security 

intelligence products that have an emphasis on threats to surface 

transportation. 

Further, this section permits the Secretary to allow access to the 

application process for security clearances for individuals that 

would foster greater information sharing regarding threats to surface transportation. 

Sec. 4. Local law enforcement security training 

This section permits the Secretary to develop a training program 

through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to enhance 

the capabilities of law enforcement agencies with respect to terrorism and other events at surface transportation sites. Additionally, this section outlines the requirements of the training program, 

should the Secretary develop it. 

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