[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1148 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1148

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out activities to 
assess and reduce the vulnerabilities of public transportation systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2003

 Ms. Millender-McDonald (for herself and Mr. Ferguson) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out activities to 
assess and reduce the vulnerabilities of public transportation systems.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public Transportation Systems 
Vulnerability Assessment and Reduction Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Frontline transit employee.--The term ``frontline 
        transit employee'' means an employee of a mass transportation 
        agency who is a bus driver, transit operator, transit 
        maintenance employee, or community representative or is 
        otherwise employed in a position with direct interaction with 
        the public.
            (2) Eligible transportation agency.--The term ``eligible 
        transportation agency'' means a designated recipient as defined 
        in section 5307(a) of title 49, United States Code, and any 
        other transportation agency designated by the Secretary.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS.

    (a) Assessment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of 
other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall--
            (1) conduct a review of all government assessments 
        conducted after September 11, 2001, of terrorist-related 
        threats to all forms of public transportation, including public 
        gathering areas related to public transportation; and
            (2) as necessary, conduct additional assessments of 
        vulnerabilities associated with any public transportation 
        system.
    (b) Adequacy of Training.--In conducting the review and assessments 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall determine the percentage of 
frontline transit employees who have received training in emergency 
preparedness and response activities.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the 
        President and Congress a report on the results of the review 
        and assessments conducted under this subsection (a), including 
        the Secretary's finding under subsection (b), and the 
        Secretary's recommendations for legislative and administrative 
        actions.
            (2) Updates.--The Secretary shall update the report, 
        including the Secretary's finding under subsection (b), 
        annually for 2 years and transmit the updated reports to the 
        President and Congress.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE TRAINING OF 
              FRONTLINE TRANSIT EMPLOYEES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to eligible 
transportation agencies for--
            (1) the training of frontline transit employees in 
        emergency preparedness and response activities; and
            (2) the acquisition of equipment and technologies, approved 
        by the Secretary, to assist in carrying out such training and 
        activities.
    (b) Training Activities.--Training activities under subsection 
(a)(1) may include the teaching of best practice methods, planning, 
testing, drills, and the development of agency and regional emergency 
preparedness and response programs.
    (c) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, 
an eligible transportation agency shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at the time and containing the information that the 
Secretary requires by regulation.
    (d) Terms and Conditions.--A grant to an eligible transportation 
agency in a fiscal year under this section shall be subject to the 
following terms and conditions:
            (1) Emergency management committee.--The agency shall 
        certify that the agency will establish a committee on emergency 
        preparedness and response training consisting of at least one 
        frontline transit employee representative and at least one 
        management employee representative. The committee shall be 
        composed of an equal number of frontline transit employee 
        representatives and management employee representatives. 
        Committee positions shall not be vacant for any period in the 
        fiscal year of more than 30 days.
            (2) Report.--The agency shall agree to submit to the 
        Secretary before the last day of the fiscal year a report on 
        the use of the grant, including a statement of the number of 
        frontline transit employees receiving training under the grant.
    (e) Allocation of Grant Amounts.--The Secretary shall allocate 
amounts made available for grants under this section in a fiscal year 
among eligible transportation agencies based on the needs of the 
agencies for emergency preparedness and response training and 
equipment. Not less than 10 percent of such amounts shall be allocated 
to eligible transportation agencies in non-urban areas.
    (f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of activities 
funded using amounts from a grant under this section may not exceed 90 
percent.
    (g) Regulations.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue final regulations to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$8,000,000 per fiscal year for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 
2006. Such amounts shall remain available until expended.
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