Title: SAFER TRANSIT Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Securing America's Facilities, Equipment and Rail: Taking Responsibility for American National Security in Transit Act or the SAFER TRANSIT Act
This bill amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to reauthorize through FY2020 the Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) program and other specified activities related to public transportation security.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must: (1) develop a Local Transit Security Instructor Training Program, and (2) take steps necessary to ensure that the Federal Air Marshal Service uses its resources to cover the highest-risk flights.
DHS shall direct the Directorate of Science and Technology to prioritize research of scalable, cost-effective technology solutions to detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats abroad public transportation that are capable of continuous, real-time detecting of, and alerting passengers and operating personnel to, such threats.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2975 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2975

To make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary 
 of Homeland Security relating to public transportation security, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 21, 2017

 Mr. Lipinski (for himself and Mrs. Comstock) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary 
 of Homeland Security relating to public transportation security, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Securing America's Facilities, 
Equipment and Rail: Taking Responsibility for American National 
Security In Transit Act'' or the ``SAFER TRANSIT Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Nationwide, Americans rely on 6,800 public 
        transportation systems for their daily commute. Every weekday, 
        public transportation riders take 35,000,000 trips. Public 
        transportation significantly improves quality of life, saving 
        Americans who live in areas served by public transportation 
        systems nearly 865,000,000 hours in travel time annually.
            (2) Increasingly, public transportation is becoming a 
        target of terrorist activity.
            (3) In 2004, terrorists simultaneously detonated explosives 
        concealed inside backpacks on Madrid's commuter train system, 
        killing 191 and injuring nearly 2000.
            (4) In 2005, four suicide bombers attacked London's public 
        transportation system, killing 52.
            (5) In 2011, authorities discovered an improvised 
        explosives device near Amtrak and commuter train tracks. The 
        same year, German police found multiple firebombs alongside 
        high-speed rail tracks and in tunnels leading into train 
        stations.
            (6) On March 22, 2016, a coordinated terrorist attack 
        targeted both the Brussels Airport and a metro station in the 
        city killing 32 and injuring nearly 300 travelers.
            (7) According to the Global Terrorism Database, there were 
        57 terror attacks on transportation from 2006 to 2014.
            (8) To ensure the continued effectiveness of public 
        transportation, the Federal Government must balance transit 
        system security and accessibility.
            (9) The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission 
        Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53), conferred to the Department of 
        Homeland Security the responsibility for assuring public 
        transportation security.
            (10) A May 2016 report by the Inspector General of the 
        Department of Homeland Security found that the Transportation 
        Security Administration has limited regulatory oversight of 
        Amtrak's passenger security.
            (11) A May 2016 report by the Government Accountability 
        Office recommended that the Federal Air Marshal Service 
        undertake a number of measures to ensure resources are 
        allocated according to risk assessments.
            (12) Congress must provide the agencies and municipalities 
        with the necessary resources to combat terrorism, and continue 
        to conduct oversight of their effective use.

SEC. 3. RAIL SECURITY.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Office of 
Management and Budget, shall submit to Congress a report on the plan of 
the Secretary to expedite the implementation of the requirements of 
subtitle B of title XV of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1161 et seq.) to--
            (1) assign rail carriers to high-risk tiers; and
            (2) establish a rail security training program.

SEC. 4. VISIBLE INTERMODAL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE TEAMS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1303(b) of the 
Implementing Recommendations of the 
9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1112) is 
amended by striking ``fiscal years 2016 through 2018'' and inserting 
``fiscal years 2016 through 2020''.
    (b) Surface Transportation Security Inspectors.--Section 1304(j) of 
the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 
(Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1113) is amended by striking ``this 
section'' and all that follows and inserting ``this section such sums 
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.''.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    Section 1409(h) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1138) is amended by 
striking ``to make grants'' and all that follows and inserting ``to 
carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 2016 through 2020.''.

SEC. 6. RAILROAD SECURITY.

    Section 1513(i)(1) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1163) is amended by 
striking ``Out of funds'' and all that follows and inserting: ``There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2020.''.

SEC. 7. OVER-THE-ROAD BUS SECURITY ASSISTANCE.

    Section 1532(k)(1) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1182) is amended by 
striking ``From amounts'' and all that follows and inserting ``There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2020.''.

SEC. 8. PUBLIC TRANSIT SECURITY POLICE TRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall develop a 
program, to be known as the ``Local Transit Security Instructor 
Training Program'', which shall be carried out at the Federal Law 
Enforcement Training Centers.
    (b) Contents.--The program developed under subsection (a) shall be 
an intensive training program designed to--
            (1) cover the comprehensive tactical subject matters 
        pertaining to the unique nature of public transit operational 
        environments and threats;
            (2) provide high-quality training and instill the 
        knowledge, skills, and aptitudes needed for the highest 
        proficiency in transit security; and
            (3) leverage the existing skills of trainee officers by 
        emphasizing leadership, teach backs, and adult learning as well 
        as the traditional technical skills needed by field training 
        officers.
    (c) Availability.--The Secretary shall make such program available 
to law enforcement agencies that are eligible for the Homeland Security 
Grant Program under section 2002 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 603) and have jurisdiction over a geographic area where a 
public transit system operates rail or bus service.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVENESS OF FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such steps as may be 
necessary to ensure that the Federal Air Marshal Service (hereinafter 
in this section referred to as the ``FAMS'') uses its resources to 
cover the highest-risk flights. In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) consider risk when determining how to divide the 
        international flight coverage resources of the FAMS among 
        international destinations, incorporate risk into the method of 
        the FAMS for initially setting its annual target numbers of 
        average daily international and domestic flights;
            (2) conduct and document a risk assessment to further 
        support the domestic resource allocation decisions of the FAMS, 
        including the identification of high-priority geographic areas;
            (3) in conducting such risk assessment, evaluate the threat 
        environment with regard to each of the different modes of 
        transportation supported by the FAMS to inform resource 
        allocation decisions, including the identification of high-
        priority modes of transportation;
            (4) document the rationale for the selection of 
        international destinations by FAMS for air marshal deployment 
        and the proportion of flights to cover at each destination;
            (5) adopt a consistent name and definition for the 
        performance measure referred to as the TSA coverage score that 
        accurately reflects its calculation method and composite 
        nature; and
            (6) report the performance results for each of the 
        subcategories that comprise the TSA coverage score to FAMS and 
        TSA leadership.

SEC. 10. CBRNE DETECTORS ABOARD PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

    The Secretary of Homeland Security shall direct the Directorate of 
Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security to 
prioritize research of scalable, cost-effective technology solutions to 
detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive 
threats aboard public transportation of all modes that are capable 
continuous, real-time sensing and detection of, and alerting passengers 
and operating personnel to the presence of such a threat.
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