Senate Passes Homeland Security Appropriations

SENATE PASSES HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS BILL

The U.S. Senate missed an opportunity yesterday to make our transit systems more secure, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said during a news conference at the Ogilvie Transportation Center today.

"With the terrorist attacks in London last week, we were reminded how vulnerable our transit systems can be," said Durbin. "We've paid too little attention to rail security over the years and, unfortunately, we missed an opportunity yesterday in the Senate. The bill we passed last night shortchanges millions of the nation's rail and inter-city transit passengers."

The Fiscal Year 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations bill that passed the Senate last night includes $31.9 billion, but only $100 million is set aside for intercity passenger rail, freight rail and transit security grants. The $100 million funding level is $50 million less than the Senate approved last year and $50 million less than the House of Representatives approved this year. The funding is far less than the $6 billion experts say we need to make our transit systems more secure.

Durbin supported an amendment endorsed by the CTA and Metra that would have increased transit security funding by $1.1 billion and distributed the funding based on risk, which would have put Illinois in a strong position. The amendment was voted down 53 to 45 on a procedural measure.

"Our rail system covers approximately 16,000 acres, carrying 500 freight and 700 commuter trains each day. More than 2 million passengers travel to or from Chicago on Amtrak, and Chicago's transit systems take 73 million local passenger trips a year," Durbin said."

Since the London bombing, transit systems across the nation have been upgraded to an Orange Alert level, meaning more canine patrols, deployment of explosive detection devices, increased security guard patrols, and increased customer assistance. A significant amount of these security upgrades has been borne by state governments and local transit agencies.

For the CTA, this increased security is costing an estimated extra $60,000 a day, on top of a large increase in security spending since September 11. Metra has diverted millions of dollars in funds for police overtime pay, extra outside security police and bomb sniffing dogs. The State of Illinois has dedicated $1 million to help cover the costs associated with the Orange Alert.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was quoted on Thursday saying that state and local governments should bear much of the burden of improving the protection of transit systems. Nearly 90 percent of federal transportation security funds were directed to aviation security in the bill the Senate passed yesterday.

"The federal government has a responsibility to protect trains and transit as well as aviation," Durbin said. "Transit operators must take effective steps to reduce the risk of terrorist attack. And they need help to do it. State and local governments are investing their own time and money, and the federal government needs to respond."

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=240720&&