Mass Transit Intelligence Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 3140, the Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act. Since the catastrophic events of September 11th, 2001 the United States has gone to every possible length to prevent another terrorist attack.

Unfortunately, our enemies cannot be deterred through logic and reason. No matter how secure we make our borders they will always be developing new ways to threaten our citizens. For this reason it is vital that America continues to improve its security and intelligence capabilities.

Since 9/11 mass transit attacks against the West have been on the rise. In 2004 a terrorist cell of Al Qaeda detonated multiple explosives on packed trains in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people. Only a year later London was attacked by another cell linked to Al Qaeda. Four suicide bombers, all of whom were on public transportation killed more than fifty people. The Mumbai attacks followed, which killed over 200 people during evening rush hour on the local train network.

Mr. Speaker, if there is one lesson to take away from all of these horrific events, it is that America is still frighteningly vulnerable to a mass transit attack. Terrorists continue to develop methods to get around our security systems and inflict as much damage as possible.

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security it is my duty to ensure everything possible is being done to prevent another attack on U.S. soil. In my own district in California there are multiple systems that could be prone to attack, but across the country there are systems that have little protection.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest public transportation system. It serves a population of 14.6 million people in the 5,000-square-mile area fanning out from New York City through Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. Each weekday an average of 8,487,642 use this system. If this system is targeted, they have little security or defense and millions of people could be at risk.

The Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act aims to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize intelligence officers and analysts, including those from the Transportation Security Administration to high-risk jurisdictions with mass transit systems. The bill also requires the officers assigned to these areas to develop mass transit intelligence products as a primary responsibility.

This bill offers a way to promote the timely sharing of information between Federal, State and local partners, with the ultimate goal of preventing any attack against an American mass transit system.

Mr. Speaker, I fully support H.R. 3140 and the added security it brings to American citizens, and all those using our public transportation systems.

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