A bill to amend title 46 and 49, United States Code, to provide improved maritime, rail, and public transportation security, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-s-2791
Sponsor: Sen. Stevens, Ted [R-AK]
Introduced: 2006-05-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Ammonia
Animals
Appropriations
Authorization
Automobile drivers
Automobiles
Biological warfare
Boundaries
Canada
Caribbean area
Chemical warfare
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Containerization
Crime and Law Enforcement
Damages
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation
District of Columbia
Dogs
Drainage
Economic assistance
Emergency Management
Emergency communication systems
Employee training
Environmental Protection
Evacuation of civilians
Explosives
Families
Family services
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to transportation
Fire prevention
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Freight
Government Operations and Politics
Government corporations
Government liability
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Identification of criminals
Imports
Intermodal transportation
International Affairs
Labor and Employment
Labor disputes
Latin America
Law
Law enforcement officers
Lighting
Marine safety
Marine terminals
Maryland
Mass rapid transit
Merchant seamen
Merchant ships
Mexico
Motor buses
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
New York City
Nuclear terrorism
Passenger ships
Performance measurement
Poisons
Police
Railroad commuting traffic
Railroad employees
Railroad engineering
Railroad equipment
Railroad finance
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Railroad safety
Railroad terminals
Research and development
Research grants
Risk
Sabotage
Salvage
Science, Technology, Communications
Searches and seizures
Security measures
Standards
Tariff
Technological innovations
Technology assessment
Terrorism
Transportation of hazardous substances
Transportation planning
Transportation research
Transportation safety
Transportation workers
Tunnels
User charges
Whistle blowing

Summary:
action_date: 2006-05-11
text: 
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2006 - Requires the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration to submit all public transportation security assessments to the Secretary of Homeland Security to review and augment such assessments. 
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish and update annually security improvement priorities; (2) conduct security assessments of all public transportation agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack; (3) conduct security assessments to determine the specific needs of local bus-only public transportation systems and of selected rural transportation systems; and (4) use information collected to establish the process for developing security guidelines.
 
Directs the Secretary to award grants: (1) directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital security improvements; and (2) to public or private entities to conduct research into, and demonstrate, methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from terrorist attacks against public transportation systems.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DOT receives timely notification of all credible terrorist threats against U.S. public transportation assets; and (2) award grants for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from such attacks.
 
Rail Security Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary to establish a task force to complete, and make prioritized recommendations regarding, a vulnerability and risk assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures, and vulnerabilities and risks, to such assets and infrastructures; (2) vulnerabilities and risks specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak security upgrades.
 
Directs the Secretary to require rail carriers transporting high hazardous materials to develop high hazard material security threat mitigation plans containing appropriate measures (including alternative routing and temporary shipment suspension options) to address assessed risks to high consequence targets.
 
Maritime Security Improvement Act of 2006 - Establishes interagency operational centers to provide greater protection against terrorism at high priority ports.
 
Directs the Secretary to identify foreign assistance programs that could facilitate implementation of port security antiterrorism measures in foreign countries.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-05-12
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 430.
action_date: 2006-05-11
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2006-05-11
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4473-4474)
action_date: 2006-05-11
text: Introduced in Senate