[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 31, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H791-H792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRANSIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT

  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 549) to amend the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 to clarify certain allowable uses of funds for 
public transportation security assistance grants and establish periods 
of performance for such grants, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 549

       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 ``Transit Security Grant 
     Program Flexibility Act''.

     SEC. 2. ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 
                   SECURITY ASSISTANCE GRANTS.

       Subparagraph (A) of section 1406(b)(2) of the Implementing 
     Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 
     1135(b)(2); Public Law 110-53) is amended by inserting ``and 
     associated backfill'' after ``security training''.

     SEC. 3. PERIODS OF PERFORMANCE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 
                   SECURITY ASSISTANCE GRANTS.

       Section 1406 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/
     11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135; Public Law 110-53) 
     is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (m) as subsection (n); and
       (2) by inserting after subsection (l) the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(m) Periods of Performance.--
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
     funds provided pursuant to a grant awarded under this section 
     for a use specified in subsection (b) shall remain available 
     for use by a grant recipient for a period of not fewer than 
     36 months.
       ``(2) Exception.--Funds provided pursuant to a grant 
     awarded under this section for a use specified in 
     subparagraph (M) or (N) of subsection (b)(1) shall remain 
     available for use by a grant recipient for a period of not 
     fewer than 55 months.''.

     SEC. 4. GAO REVIEW.

       (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall conduct a review of the transit security grant 
     program under section 1406 of the Implementing 
     Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 
     1135; Public Law 110-53).
       (b) Scope.--The review required under paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) An assessment of the type of projects funded under the 
     transit security grant program referred to in such paragraph.
       (2) An assessment of the manner in which such projects 
     address threats to transportation infrastructure.
       (3) An assessment of the impact, if any, of this Act 
     (including the amendments made by this Act) on types of 
     projects funded under the transit security grant program.
       (4) An assessment of the management and administration of 
     transit security grant program funds by grantees.
       (5) Recommendations to improve the manner in which transit 
     security grant program funds address vulnerabilities in 
     transportation infrastructure.
       (6) Recommendations to improve the management and 
     administration of the transit security grant program.
       (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act and again not later than five years 
     after such date of enactment, the Comptroller General shall 
     submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the review 
     required under this section.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. DONOVAN. 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. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 549, the Transit Security Grant 
Program Flexibility Act. With more than 10 billion riders using surface 
transportation annually and limited security screening, it should not 
be surprising to us that terrorists have an interest in targeting mass 
transit. We saw it in London, Madrid, Brussels, and when a terrorist 
left a backpack of IEDs at a transit station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, 
last fall.
  Given the repeated calls from ISIS and other radical Islamic 
terrorist groups for lone wolves and sympathizers to plan smaller 
attacks where larger crowds gather, we must ensure that the first 
responders and transit agencies have the tools they need to secure our 
transit systems.
  That is why, last Congress, I introduced the Transit Security Grant 
Program Flexibility Act. This bill addresses concerns raised during a 
field hearing the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and 
Communications held last year in Ranking Member Payne's district on 
preparedness for incidents impacting surface transportation. As 
chairman of that subcommittee, I introduced this legislation to ensure 
action follows our subcommittee's oversight, and that is why I 
reintroduced this commonsense legislation in the 115th Congress.
  Witnesses at last year's field hearing testified about the importance 
of the transit security grant program, but found that the period of 
performance was a challenging timeframe to meet, especially for 
completing vital, large-scale capital security projects. These projects 
are vital to transit agencies to help enhance their security features 
systemwide and harden infrastructure.
  H.R. 549 addresses this challenge by codifying the period of 
performance for transit security grant program awards at 36 months for 
the majority of eligible projects and extending the period of 
performance for large-scale capital security projects to 55 months.
  Additionally, transit security grant program awards can be used to 
provide personnel with effective security training. Unfortunately, 
recipients of these awards are not currently permitted to use transit 
security grant program funds to pay for backfilling personnel attending 
such training. In some cases, that extra cost at the transit agency has 
resulted in an inability to send staff for vital security training. My 
bill will permit transit security grant program funds to be used for 
this purpose, consistent with other Homeland Security grant programs.
  The current threat environment is evolving and complex, which makes 
it even more imperative that the transit security grant program provide 
flexible solutions for grant recipients. I am proud to sponsor this 
bipartisan legislation, which passed the House by voice vote last year.
  I urge all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 549.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 549, the Transit Security Grant Program 
Flexibility Act.
  As the threats to our homeland continue to evolve, transit systems, 
domestically and abroad, have become a leading target for terrorists. 
Last year, the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee for 
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications held field 
hearings in New Jersey to assess how transit owners and operators and 
local first responders were coordinating efforts to secure domestic 
mass transit and to determine what the Federal Government could do to 
assist those efforts.
  At the hearing, transit operators repeatedly praised the transit 
security grant program, although they raised serious concerns about 
funding, which has decreased dramatically since its peak in 2009. 
Witnesses also testified that the period of the performance for the 
transit safety grant program was too short to support infrastructure-
hardening projects.
  Under H.R. 549, the period of performance for security-hardening 
projects would be extended from 36 months to 55

[[Page H792]]

months in order to make it possible for transit agencies to complete 
projects that may take longer than the time period allowed under 
current law.
  This bipartisan bill was passed in the House last Congress, and I 
urge my colleagues to again support this measure.
  It is very important that we give transit professionals the 
flexibility that they need to keep our transit systems safe and secure. 
H.R. 549 will allow transit security grant program grantees to use the 
funds designated for security-hardening projects more efficiently and 
within a more reasonable timeframe.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I, once again, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 549.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 549.
  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.

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