[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20672]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           SUPPORT OF S. 1739

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today in support of legislation 
introduced by Senator Cleland, S. 1739, which seeks to improve security 
on motorcoaches and over-the-road buses nationwide. I became a 
cosponsor of S. 1739 in the wake of a September 30 attack in which two 
people were killed and more than two dozen others injured after a 
Greyhound bus skidded off a California highway. The bus driver had been 
stabbed in the throat by a passenger.
  While it quickly became known that the incident had no links to 
terrorism, it served as a stark reminder that a significant part of 
America's transportation network remains vulnerable to attack. Every 
year, motorcoaches and over-the-road buses carried an estimated 800 
million passengers to 4,000 communities nationwide, far in excess of 
the passenger load carried by the airlines or Amtrak.
  I believe that it is vitally important that we address bus security 
concerns highlighted by the recent attack. A critical component in our 
fight against terrorism is protecting the security of our 
transportation system, including buses. We have to assume that any 
facet of our transportation system remains a target for violence. 
Terrorists in Israel have targeted buses with deadly effectiveness. So 
we have to take steps, like S. 1739, which will move us toward a more 
secure system across every mode of transportation and across our 
transportation infrastructure.
  S. 1739 provides funding to the motorcoach industry to enhance 
security at a time when improved security is increasingly necessary but 
when the industry is least able to make new investments. Other forms of 
commercial passenger transportation including Amtrak, the airline and 
transit agencies have all received sizeable funding commitments from 
Congress for security upgrades, and the motorcoach industry should not 
be ignored when it comes to safety.
  Specifically, this bipartisan legislation provides $400 million in 
grants to be made by the Secretary of the Treasury for over-the-road 
bus transportation security. The grants must be used for specified 
system-wide security upgrades, including the reimbursement of security-
related costs incurred since September 11, 2001. The grants will allow 
bus operators to protect drivers, implement passenger screening 
programs, and construct or modify facilities. Grants could also be used 
to train employees in terrorist threat assessments, hire and train 
security officers, and install video surveillance and emergency 
communication equipment.
  Many of these upgrades have already been undertaken by the industry 
since September 11. This bill will supplement and reimburse the 
industry for these efforts.
  Since 9/11, Members of Congress have shown broad bipartisan support 
for addressing the issue of bus security. In April, S. 1739 was 
unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and 
Transportation, of which Senator Cleland and I are members. In May, a 
companion measure passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee, also unanimously, and is pending on the House floor. Also, 
this summer Congress provided $15 million for that purpose in the 
Fiscal Year 2002 Supplemental Appropriation bill.
  Given the fact that the intercity bus system is a crucial link in 
America's transportation system, I believe that Congress must act to 
secure that system against further attacks, and I strongly urge my 
colleagues to join me in a show of support for this legislation.

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