Rail And Public Transportation Security Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - March 27, 2007)

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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I especially want to thank the chairman for his outstanding leadership. It is an honor and really a preeminent privilege to serve with him on this committee. I also thank the ranking member. I would thank also the subcommittee Chair, SHEILA JACKSON-LEE, from the great State of Texas. She and I have districts that are juxtaposed right next to each other.

Mr. Chairman, I am supporting this legislation because it authorizes $140 million to Amtrak to improve tunnels in the Northeast corridor. It requires programs that will cause our transit employees to be trained on how to prevent, prepare for, and respond to terrorist attacks. Our first line of defense will be prepared to defend as a result of this bill.

This bill requires that we look forward, and it authorizes $200 million over the next 4 years to find solutions to security threats.

This bill protects those who would protect us in that the whistleblowers will be protected. I trust that while it may not be a perfect provision, it is better than what we had, and I assure the public that this is going to help us.

This bill will help us to get the additional inspectors that we need. We will move from 100 inspectors to 600 by 2010.

This bill helps us to protect America's future, our children, in that it provides for school bus transportation security assessments.

This bill provides for enhanced security for shipments of sensitive materials.

Finally, of the many things I can say, I want to remind us that this bill provides that violators of the act will be punished. There are both civil and criminal penalties for violators.

I think this is a good bill. I am honored to have my name associated with it as an original cosponsor.

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