[Senate Report 116-323]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                 Calendar No. 626

116th Congress}                                           { Report
                                 SENATE
  2d Session  }                                           { 116-323

======================================================================                
              TRANSIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND

                          GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                              to accompany

                               H.R. 1313

            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

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


               December 14, 2020.--Ordered to be printed               
               
                                 __________
               
               
                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
                           WASHINGTON : 2020                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------               
              
        COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                    RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin, Chairman
ROB PORTMAN, Ohio                    GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
RAND PAUL, Kentucky                  THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma             MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire
MITT ROMNEY, Utah                    KAMALA D. HARRIS, California
RICK SCOTT, Florida                  KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming             JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                Gabrielle D'Adamo Singer, Staff Director
                   Joseph C. Folio III, Chief Counsel
            Christopher S. Boness, Professional Staff Member
               David M. Weinberg, Minority Staff Director
               Zachary I. Schram, Minority Chief Counsel
              Corban G. Ryan, Minority Research Assistant
                     Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
                     
                     
                                                  Calendar No. 626

116th Congress}                                           { Report
                                 SENATE
  2d Session  }                                           { 116-323

======================================================================                           
 
             TRANSIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT

                                _______
                                

               December 14, 2020.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Johnson, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                    Affairs, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1313]

    The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (H.R. 1313) to amend 
the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 
2007 to clarify certain allowable use of funds for public 
transportation security assistance grants and establish periods 
of performance for such grants, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute and recommends that the 
bill, as amended, do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
 II. Background and Need for the Legislation..........................2
III. Legislative History..............................................3
 IV. Section-by-Section Analysis......................................4
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
 VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................4
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Act, as Reported.............5

                         I. Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 1313, the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility 
Act, amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (Implementing 9/11 Recommendations Act) 
to extend the period of time that public transportation 
security assistance grant awards are available to grant 
recipients.\1\ Specifically, this Act allows these grants to 
remain available up to 36 months and grants for construction of 
security improvements to public transportation systems or 
improvements to public transportation infrastructure to remain 
available for up to 48 months. It also allows grant funds to be 
used to backfill for staff during security trainings. Finally, 
the Act requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to 
complete an assessment of the types of projects funded by 
public transportation security assistance grants, how these 
projects address security threats, the impact of this Act on 
these projects, the management and administration of the 
grants, as well as provide recommendations to improve how these 
grants address public transportation vulnerabilities and 
recommendations on ways to improve management of these grants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ASee 6 U.S.C. 1135.
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              II. Background and the Need for Legislation

    The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the 
United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission, issued a 
report with numerous recommendations on ways to strengthen 
national security and prevent future terrorist attacks.\2\ 
Multiple recommendations in the report addressed the need to 
improve security and fortify public transportation systems by 
focusing on risk-based assessments and directing funding and 
grant dollars towards higher-risk areas rather than spreading 
money across the totality of the public transportations system. 
Specifically, the report recommended that, ``The U.S. 
Government should identify and evaluate the transportation 
assets that need to be protected, set risk-based priorities for 
defending them, select the most practical and cost-effective 
ways of doing so, and then develop a plan, budget, and funding 
to implement the effort.''\3\ Additionally, the report 
recommended that ``Homeland security assistance should be based 
strictly on an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities . . . . 
It should supplement state and local resources based on the 
risk of vulnerabilities that merit additional support . . . 
.''\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 
The 9/11 Commission Report 367-428 (2004), https://
govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
    \3\Id. at 391.
    \4\Id. at 396.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Congress passed the Implementing 9/11 Recommendations Act 
to codify and establish many of the recommendations issued in 
the report, including creating the Transit Security Grant 
Program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).\5\ It 
states that allowable uses for grant funding include capital 
uses, such as tunnel protection systems, emergency response 
equipment, and security improvements for public transportation 
systems, as well as operating uses, such as security training 
for employees, public awareness campaigns, and canine patrols 
for chemical, radiological, biological, or explosives 
detection.\6\ Additionally, in order to be eligible for a 
public transportation security grant, the recipient must be 
addressing an item in a qualifying security assessment or 
produce a security plan.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, 
Pub. L. No. 110-53, Sec.  603, 121 Stat. 266, 376-77 (2007).
    \6\Id. Sec.  1406.
    \7\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    On January 9, 2020, the House Homeland Security Committee's 
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery 
conducted a hearing with experts on the importance of DHS 
preparedness grants.\8\ In discussing grant programs, John 
Miller, the Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and 
Counterterrorism, New York City Police Department, said Federal 
funding plays a significant part in state and locals' ability 
to prevent and prepare for attacks or other events.\9\ He also 
stated that if Federal funding is eliminated or reduced, it 
would ``result in an erosion of our counterterror and 
intelligence capabilities, cessation of many of the initiatives 
. . . and a significant limitation of our overall emergency 
preparedness posture.''\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\Understanding the Importance of DHS Preparedness Grants: 
Perspectives from the Field: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Emergency 
Preparedness, Response, & Recovery of the H. Comm. on Homeland Sec., 
116th Cong. (2020) (opening statements of Chairmen Payne and Thompson), 
https://homeland.house.gov/activities/hearings/understanding-the-
importance-of-dhs-preparedness-grants_perspectives-from-the-field.
    \9\Id. (statement of John Miller, Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence 
and Counterterrorism, New York City Police Department).
    \10\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This Act makes several changes to the Transit Security 
Grant Program based feedback from grant recipients. First, the 
Act clarifies that monies can be used to pay for associated 
backfill when public transportation employees enroll in 
security training allowed under the operational uses of the 
grant funding. Second, the Act codifies the period of 
performance for the grant program. For most use cases, the 
grant funding period is 36 months, which is the current 
performance period. For grant funding for security improvements 
to public transportation systems in final design or under 
construction, and security improvements for stations and other 
public transportation infrastructure, the Act extends the 
funding period to 48 months. This change is being made to 
address feedback and concerns from grant recipients that large-
capital projects enrolled in the grant program did not have 
sufficient time to spend the allotted funding to complete 
large-capital projects, such as construction on stations, and 
they had to return the money they were awarded and re-apply for 
grant funding.

                        III. Legislative History

    Representative Peter King (R-NY-2) introduced H.R. 1313 on 
February 19, 2019. Representative Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ-10) 
joined as co-sponsor on May 14, 2019. The House of 
Representatives passed H.R. 1313 by voice vote under suspension 
of the rules on May 14, 2019.
    The Act was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs on May 15, 2019. The Committee 
considered H.R. 1313 at a business meeting on July 22, 2020. 
During the business meeting, Chairman Ron Johnson offered an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute to change the duration 
of large-capital grant awards from 55 months to 48 months based 
on feedback the Committee received from stakeholders. The 
amendment was adopted by voice vote en bloc. Senators Johnson, 
Portman, Paul, Lankford, Romney, Scott, Enzi, Hawley, Peters, 
Carper, Hassan, Harris, and Rosen were present.
    H.R. 1313, as amended by the substitute amendment, was 
reported favorably by voice vote en bloc. Senators Johnson, 
Portman, Paul, Lankford, Romney, Scott, Enzi, Hawley, Peters, 
Carper, Hassan, Harris, and Rosen were present. Senator Paul 
was recorded ``No''.

        IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Act, as Reported


Sec. 1. Short title

    This section names the Act as the ``Transit Security Grant 
Program Flexibility Act''.

Sec. 2. Allowable uses of funds for public transportation security 
        assistance grants

    This section allows the operational uses of the grants to 
be used for backfill when employees are attending security 
training for public transportation employees.

Sec. 3. Periods of performance for public transportation security 
        assistance grants

    This section amends the Implementing 9/11 Recommendations 
Act. Specifically, this section codifies the length of most 
public transportation security assistance grant allocations to 
36 months. Any grants awarded related to security improvements 
for public transportation systems in final design or under 
construction, or security improvements for stations and other 
public transportation infrastructure, may be allowable up to 48 
months.

Sec. 4. GAO review

    This section requires the GAO to complete an assessment of 
the type of projects funded by public transportation security 
assistance grants, how these projects address security threats, 
the impact of this Act on these projects, the management and 
administration of the grants, provide recommendations to 
improve how these grants address public transportation 
vulnerabilities, and recommendations on ways to improve 
management of these grants. It also requires the GAO to submit 
a report on this assessment not later than one year after 
enactment of the Act, and again not later than five years after 
enactment.

Sec. 5. Determination of budgetary effects

    This section states that the budgetary effects of this Act 
shall be determined by the latest statement of budgetary 
effects of PAYGO legislation submitted by the Chairman of the 
Senate Budget Committee.

                   V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact

    Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has 
considered the regulatory impact of this Act and determined 
that the Act will have no regulatory impact within the meaning 
of the rules. The Committee agrees with the Congressional 
Budget Office's statement that the Act contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs 
on state, local, or tribal governments.

             VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    CBO failed to provide the Committee with a cost estimate in 
time for the final reporting deadline of the 116th Congress.

       VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Act, as Reported

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the Act, as reported, are shown as follows: (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in brackets, new matter is 
printed in italic, and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

UNITED STATES CODE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE 6--DOMESTIC SECURITY

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


CHAPTER 4--TRANSPORTATION SECURITY

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SUBCHAPTER III--PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SEC. 1135. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ASSISTANCE

    (a) * * *
    (b) Uses of Funds.--A recipient of a grant under subsection 
(a) shall use the grant funds for one or more of the following:
          (1) * * *
          (2) Operating uses of funds, including--
                  (A) security training and associated 
                backfill, including training under section 1408 
                and training developed by institutions of 
                higher education and by nonprofit employee 
                labor organizations, for public transportation 
                employees, including frontline employees;

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (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 48 months.
    [(m)] (n) Authorization of Appropriations.--

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


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