[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 126 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S9683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                               BUS SAFETY

  Mr. CLELAND. Madam President, I rise today to address two timely 
issues.
  It is with a heavy heart over the loss of two passengers on a 
Greyhound bus last night in California and the injury of several others 
that I turn the attention of the Senate to bus security. This tragedy 
occurred when a passenger attacked the driver of the bus. After a 
heroic struggle upon being stabbed in the neck, the driver lost control 
of the bus. That is when the bus careened off Interstate 5. The alleged 
attacker was subsequently arrested by the police.
  While terrorism is not suspected as the cause of the attack, no one 
knows what would have happened had the attacker gained control of the 
bus. Also, this attack occurs almost exactly 1 year after the October 
3, 2001, Greyhound attack in Tennessee that left 7 dead.
  However, we have seen the all-too-often result of buses used to 
commit terror attacks in the Middle East where suicide bombers have 
used buses to carry out their deadly work. Historically, between 1920 
and 2000, about half of the terrorist acts in the world occurred 
against buses or bus companies. With intercity buses serving almost 800 
million passengers annually in over 4,000 communities, I believe 
Congress must act to protect our travelers from being subject to the 
same terror and safety concerns.
  Last November, I introduced S. 1739 to authorize a 2-year grant 
program to improve the safety and security of buses. Funding could be 
used for safety improvements inside the terminals and on buses--for 
equipment such as metal detectors, database programs for sharing 
passenger lists, communication technology, cameras, and more. My 
legislation passed the Commerce Committee earlier this year without 
opposition, but unfortunately, it has been stalled waiting for floor 
action. I urge my colleagues to clear this bill for passage by the full 
Senate today. We owe it to the families of those who have been touched 
by this tragedy, and we owe it to the millions of passengers embarking 
on a trip or tour via bus service.
  Also, the House companion legislation, H.R. 3429, has passed the 
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is pending on the 
House floor. It has strong bipartisan support, including its sponsor 
Committee Chairmen Don Young.
  Congress has already expressed its approval for funding of such 
security measures in the 2002 supplemental appropriations bill by 
providing $15 million for bus security. My legislation authorizes the 
program at more adequate levels and provides much-needed congressional 
commitment for implementation of the program. Intercity bus 
passengers--our fellow citizens--should feel secure and safe, and 
Congress should not stand in the way.

  Additionally, I would like to ask my colleagues to examine the issue 
of access to technology, which is also important to protecting the 
security of our people. Over 7 months ago the Commerce committee held a 
hearing on the so-called digital divide at our colleges and 
universities that serve the largest concentrations of the Nation's 
minority students. We heard compelling testimony that a significant 
technology gap exists for a majority of these students at a time when 
the world economy is becoming increasingly technology driven. Only one 
tribal college has funding for a broadband connection, and it is not 
yet in place. At private historically black colleges and universities, 
75 percent of their servers and printers are obsolete or nearly 
obsolete and in need of replacement. Half of the HBCUs surveyed in a 
landmark study 2 years ago by the Department of Commerce did not have 
computers available in the location most accessible to students--their 
dormitories. Hispanic students are almost 20 percent less likely than 
non-Hispanic whites to have a home computer and almost 25 percent less 
likely to use the Internet at home.
  Curerntly there is no Federal program that provides funds to 
minority-serving colleges and universities for computer hardware and 
software acquisition. S. 414, the NTIA Digital Technology Program Act, 
would provide this critically needed resource for America's under-
represented and educationally disadvantaged minorities in higher 
education. It has been lauded as the most significant tool for 
addressing the infrastructure and instrumentation needs of the Nation's 
minority-serving institutions since the reauthorization of title III of 
the Higher Education Act. It is a bipartisan bill sponsored by 18 
Senators from both sides of the aisle. The bill was reported 
unanimously by the Senate Commerce Committee in May and also enjoys 
bipartisan cosponsorship and support in the House of Representatives.
  In the ever-expanding world of the information highway, it should be 
our mandate to work to ensure that no one in this country is left 
behind-least of all our leaders of tomorrow.

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