Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-2032
Sponsor: Sen. Shelby, Richard C. [R-AL]
Introduced: 2005-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Biological warfare
Bombs
Capital investments
Chemical warfare
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Customer service
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation
Dogs
Economics and Public Finance
Electronic surveillance
Emergency Management
Employee training
Evacuation of civilians
Explosives
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to transportation
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Hours of labor
Housing and Community Development
Infrastructure
International Affairs
Labor and Employment
Law enforcement officers
Mass rapid transit
Motor buses
Navigation satellites
Nuclear terrorism
Police
Research and development
Research grants
Salaries
Science, Technology, Communications
Security measures
Technological innovations
Technology assessment
Telecommunication systems
Terrorism
Transportation planning
Transportation research
Transportation safety
Tunnels

Summary:
action_date: 2005-11-17
text: 
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005 - 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 security improvement priorities and to update them annually; (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 directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital security improvements (including tunnel and perimeter protection systems and surveillance and communications equipment); and (2) operational security improvements (including security training for transit employees, drills, public awareness campaigns, and canine patrols for chemical, biological, or explosives detection).

Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DOT receives appropriate and 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; and (3) provide sufficient financial assistance for the reasonable costs of an Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation.

action_date: 2005-11-17
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

 
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Federal Transit Administration of the Department of Transportation to submit all public transportation security assessments and all other relevant information to the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary).
 
Directs the Secretary to review, augment, and use them as the basis for allocating funds under security assistance grants, unless the Secretary notifies the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate that the Secretary has determined that an adjustment is necessary to respond to an urgent threat or significant factors.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) update such security assessments; (2) conduct them for all public transportation agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack; (3) use them and other relevant information to establish the process for developing public transportation security guidelines and designing a security improvement strategy; and (4) conduct assessments to determine the specific needs of local bus-only public transportation systems and selected public transportation systems that receive formula grants for non-urbanized areas.
 
(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to award grants directly to public transportation agencies for allowable capital and operational security improvements based on establlished priorities.
 
Requires each public transportation agency that receives a grant to: (1) identify a security improvements coordinator; and (2) develop a comprehensive plan for the agency's capacity for operating and maintaining the equipment purchased under this Act.
 
(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the Department of Transportation receives appropriate and timely notification of all credible terrorist threats against public transportation assets in the United States; and (2) provide sufficient financial assistance for the reasonable costs of the Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation (ISAC) established to protect critical infrastructure.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) require public transportation agencies at significant risk of terrorist attack to participate in ISAC; and (2) encourage all other public transportation agencies to participate in ISAC. Prohibits the Secretary from charging a fee to any public transportation agency for such participation.
 
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to award grants to public or private entities to conduct research into, and demonstrate, technologies and methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from terrorist attacks against public transportation systems.
 
Requires the return of misspent grant funds to the Treasury.
 
(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the capital security assistance program and for research for FY2007; (2) the operational security assistance program for FY2007-FY2009; and (3) intelligence sharing, including ISAC (without fiscal year limit).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-11-17
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 299.
action_date: 2005-11-17
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Shelby. Without written report.
action_date: 2005-11-17
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Shelby. Without written report.
action_date: 2005-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
action_date: 2005-11-16
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ordered to be reported an original measure.