9/11 bill to include transit security

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, secured new transit security investments and improvements as part of a comprehensive 9/11 Conference Report.

The transit security legislation will provide additional resources — $3.5 billion over the next four years — distributed on the basis of risk, directly to public transit systems to better protect against terrorist attacks and mitigate the damage from any attack.

Chairman Dodd’s approved bill includes provisions for security assessments by the Department of Homeland Security, in partnership with the FTA, and financial assistance for agencies’ participation in the Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation (ISAC). The bill’s provisions also include grants provided to public and private entities to conduct research into technology or methods of deterring and mitigating the effects of terrorist attacks and require transit systems who receive grants to train their front-line workers.

After chairing the first congressional hearing on transit security in January, Dodd won unanimous approval for his transit security measure by the Banking Committee in February. Dodd then successfully attached the measure to the Senate’s 9/11 package, which was approved in March.