[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 30, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H3246-H3247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              MASS TRANSIT INTELLIGENCE PRIORITIZATION ACT

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3140) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize the assignment 
of officers and analysts to certain State and urban area fusion centers 
to enhance the security of mass transit systems.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3140

       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 ``Mass Transit Intelligence 
     Prioritization Act''.

     SEC. 2. MASS TRANSIT INTELLIGENCE PRIORITIZATION.

       Section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     124h) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsections (f) through (k) as 
     subsections (e) through (l), respectively;
       (2) in subsection (l), as so redesignated, by striking 
     ``subsection (i)'' and inserting ``subsection (j)''; and
       (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
     subsection (f):
       ``(f) Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make it a priority 
     to assign officers and intelligence analysts under this 
     section from the Department, including the Transportation 
     Security Administration, to participating State and urban 
     area fusion centers located in high-risk jurisdictions with 
     mass transit systems in order to enhance the security of such 
     mass transit systems by assisting Federal, State, local, and 
     tribal law enforcement authorities in identifying, 
     investigating, and otherwise interdicting persons, weapons, 
     and contraband that pose a threat to homeland security.
       ``(2) Mass transit intelligence products.--When performing 
     the responsibilities described in subsection (d), officers 
     and intelligence analysts assigned to participating State and 
     urban area fusion centers under this section shall have, as a 
     primary responsibility, the creation of mass transit 
     intelligence products that--
       ``(A) assist State, local, and tribal law enforcement 
     agencies in deploying their resources most efficiently to 
     help detect and interdict terrorists, weapons of mass 
     destruction, and contraband at mass transit systems of the 
     United States;
       ``(B) promote more consistent and timely dissemination of 
     mass transit security-relevant information among 
     jurisdictions with mass transit systems; and
       ``(C) enhance the Department's situational awareness with 
     respect to the threat of acts of terrorism at or involving 
     mass transit systems of the United States.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. King) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.

                              {time}  1830


                             General Leave

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Only due to the shortness of time, I will keep my remarks brief. This 
bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and directs the DHS 
Secretary to make it a priority to assign officers and intelligence 
analysts to participate in State and urban area fusion centers located 
in high-risk jurisdictions with mass transit systems.
  I would like to thank Congresswoman Speier and Chairman Meehan for 
their dedicated work in this area.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the 
Secretary of Homeland Security to make it a priority to assign DHS 
officers and intelligence analysts to participate in state and urban 
area fusion centers located in high-risk jurisdictions with mass 
transit systems.
  I would like to thank Congresswoman Speier and Chairman Meehan for 
their dedicated work in this area.
  These officers and analysts will enhance the security of mass transit 
systems by assisting law enforcement authorities in identifying, 
investigating, and otherwise interdicting persons, weapons, and 
contraband that pose a threat to homeland security.
  The primary responsibility of these officers and analysts will be to 
create mass transit intelligence products that assist law enforcement 
agencies in deploying their resources more efficiently, promote more 
consistent and timely dissemination of mass transit security-related 
information among jurisdictions with mass transit systems, and improve 
DHS' situational awareness in regard to the threat of terrorist acts at 
or involving U.S. mass transit.
  It has been noted in documents uncovered from his Abbottabad 
compound, that Osama bin Laden expressed a continued interested in 
striking mass transit systems in the United States--railroads in 
particular.
  That raid is a stark reminder that--after 9/11, the Christmas Day 
plot, Najibullah Zazi, Bryant Neal Vinas, and others--al Qaeda is still 
focused on striking our transportation systems. I urge support for this 
bipartisan measure.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
3140, the Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act, and I yield 
myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as ranking member on the Committee on Homeland Security, 
I have observed that mass transit systems over the years have 
consistently been a target for terrorist groups, including al Qaeda. 
H.R. 3140, the Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act, requires 
the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize the assignment of mass 
transit intelligence analysts, including from TSA, to State and local 
fusion centers with major mass transit systems in their jurisdictions.
  In short, this is a commonsense bill that would enhance security for 
the mass transit systems of our Nation by improving the sharing of 
information, and I urge my colleagues' support of it.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she 
may consume to the original sponsor of the legislation under 
consideration and a former member of the Committee on Homeland 
Security, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding and 
the chairman for his leadership as well.
  As has been mentioned, this bill is important in our efforts to make 
sure that mass transit is under the umbrella for the sharing of 
information. Let us not forget that in 2004 al Qaeda detonated multiple 
explosives during rush hour on a packed commuter train in Madrid, 
Spain, killing 191 people. A little more than a year later in London, a 
terrorist cell linked to al Qaeda carried out four suicide bombings, 
three of them on the London Underground, killing more than 50. To date, 
the United States has not experienced the death and destruction 
associated with dirty bombs or a mass transit attack. But that doesn't 
mean we haven't had close calls. In fact, in September of 2009, 
Najibullah Zazi was arrested in New York City for allegedly plotting to 
blow up New York City subways.
  In October 2010, the FBI arrested a man who was plotting a large-
scale attack here in Washington, D.C. on the Metro system. Last year he 
was sentenced to 23 years in Federal prison.
  Most recently, we learned through documents taken from the compound 
of Osama bin Laden following the successful Navy SEAL raid that al 
Qaeda was plotting to attack U.S. mass transit systems to commemorate 
the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
  Millions of Americans travel each day on mass transit to work, but 
these systems, such as subways, have relatively few security measures. 
This bill will change that. It will make sure that fusion centers bring 
together Federal, State, and local law enforcement and emergency 
management agencies to share information and protect communities. The 
bill further requires that officers assigned to these fusion centers 
create mass transit intelligence products. One of the key lessons of 9/
11 is information-sharing is key to terrorism prevention.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure. The CBO has determined 
that this bill would have no significant impact on the budget. I also 
would like to pay special respect to the chair of the Counterterrorism 
and Intelligence Subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, who I 
enjoyed working with immensely
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I have no other speakers, and I'm 
prepared to close.

[[Page H3247]]

  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3140, as introduced by our former committee 
colleague, Ms. Speier, is a needed, commonsense piece of legislation 
with a history of bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues to support 
this measure and the security of our mass transit systems.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I come from a region which has 
almost 6 million daily passengers on subway and commuter lines. This 
legislation is absolutely vital, I urge its adoption, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  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.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 3140, ``Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act.'' This 
legislation would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002. It calls for 
the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make it a priority to 
assign DHS officers and intelligence analysts, including from the 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to participating state 
and urban area fusion centers located in high-risk jurisdictions with 
mass transit systems to enhance the security of these systems. These 
officers would help local enforcement authorities identify and 
investigate any threats to homeland security.
  The DHS officers and analysts will also be responsible for creating 
mass transit intelligence products that will: (1) assist law 
enforcement agencies in deploying their resources most efficiently to 
help detect and interdict terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, and 
contraband at U.S. mass transit systems; (2) promote more consistent 
and timely dissemination of mass transit security-relevant information 
among jurisdictions with such systems; and (3) enhance DHS's 
situational awareness with respect to the threat of terrorist acts at 
or involving U.S. mass transit systems.
  As a Ranking Member on the Subcommittee for Transportation, ensuring 
the safety and security of the nation's public transportation system is 
one of my top priorities.
  Mass transit systems across the world have continually been a target 
for terrorist threats, namely the 2004 terrorist attack on a packed 
commuter train in Madrid, Spain that killed 191 people. There was also 
the suicide bombing attack in London that left 50 dead in 2005.
  While we have so far been fortunate to have not had any incidents of 
terrorism in our mass transit systems, we know of the threat planned by 
al-Qaeda to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by attacking US 
mass transit systems. Thankfully, a Naval SEALS raid on Osama bin 
Laden's compound discovered and thwarted this plot.
  Rising gas prices have caused metro transportation systems to be used 
now more than ever, creating an additional urgency to keep citizens 
safe on the daily commute.
  According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), 
Americans made 10.4 billion trips on public transportation in 2011. 
This is the second highest annual ridership since 1957. Houston's 
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County accounted for 5.2 
percent of that gain and has seen six consecutive months of increased 
ridership. In Houston, we understand the importance of a secured public 
transportation system.
  Our metro transit system is closely partnered with the US Department 
of Homeland Security. It is equipped with surveillance capabilities and 
our officers are trained in counterterrorism measures as well as in the 
latest law enforcement techniques. In addition officers regularly check 
bus and rail lines and perform sweeps through the Transit Center as 
well as through the Park & Ride lots and bus stops.
  As the city grows and new metro employees are hired, it is my goal 
that the Houston public transportation system maintains its high level 
of security and a strong relationship with Homeland Security. I desire 
this same level of security for all of the public transportation 
systems in the US.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3140 ``Mass 
Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. King) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3140.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________