Date: 2007-03-27
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. this is a worthy amendment. We need information of this nature. In hearings that I conducted last year as the Chair of the relevant subcommittee and in hearings we have had this year. we have had conflicting bits of information from those in management and those representing labor as to the length and breadth of the training programs that are available and that have been actually implemented. We never got a definitive answer in that regard. even though we requested it from both sides. Therefore. this amendment I think will be of benefit not only to the Department. but to those of us in this body such that we might be able to make a determination as to the extent and effectiveness. as well as adequacy. of the security training programs that we have been told are already in effect. but now that are specifically required under section 109 of this bill. � Under this amendment. the Secretary would submit to us a report on the results of the survey and the progress of the providers of the covered transportation. and that is something that we have been lacking in the past. So I thank the gentleman for this amendment. This bill requires mandatory security training programs for all rail. mass transit and overtheroad bus employees and requires that the employers provide such training within I year of the issuance of regulations. In order for us to exercise our proper oversight. this information is necessary. In order for us to put forth appropriate prodding with respect to both the employers and the employees in this regard. I think this survey will be very. very beneficial. Having said that with reference to the specifics of this. let me just remark on some things that have been said on this floor about where we have been previous to this bill. The fact of the matter is that those of us on this committee. on a bipartisan basis. for at least the last 3 years I have been here. and I have been assured before that with the select committee. we have worked to try and respond in an appropriate way to the threats coming from 9/11 and the things that we have learned subsequent to 9/ 11. It is true that in the immediate response to 9/11 the administration and the Congress worked together and in some ways pushed money out the door without a riskbased analysis. That has changed over the last number of years. There has been a commitment on a bipartisan basis in this committee and on this floor and in the Senate and in the conference in all the bills that we have passed that a riskbased assessment is necessary for a strategy for our tactics and our grants. Now. I will say I think we are more enlightened on this side of the Capitol than maybe some of our friends over in the other body in terms of how we make sure that we are dedicated to a riskbased analysis. but we have been going forward with that. Also I would like to say with respect to the administration. Secretary Chertoff. his number two. his number three and the head of TSA. have all committed themselves publicly and privately and I think in their actions to a riskbased analysis. We are all in this together. I dont think there is any disagreement on the riskbased analysis being absolutely essential to tactics. to strategy. and to grants. It is in this bill. as it should be. it was in the bills that we passed over the last 2 years. as it shourd have been. and it is in the actions of the current administration. So I just wanted to make that clear. I believe the gentlemans amendment will be helpful in gauging the progress made in terms of training in this very serious area and giving us the kind of information necessary so that we can make informed judgments in the years ahead. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.