Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2004
Latest action · Sep 24, 2004 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1698)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 23, 2004
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2004 - Directs the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation for identification of: (1) critical assets and infrastructures and threats to them; (2) vulnerabilities specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad; and (3) security weaknesses in passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure, protection systems, procedural policies, communications systems, employee training, emergency response planning, and any other area identified by the assessment. Requires the Under Secretary based on the assessment to develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review existing Department of Transportation (DOT) rail regulations to identify areas for revision to improve rail security.
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, the European Union (EU), and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures.
Directs the Under Secretary to: (1) analyze the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and mail on passenger trains; and (2) conduct a pilot program of random security screening of passengers and baggage at a specified number of passenger rail stations served by Amtrak.
Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to Amtrak for fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that DOT receives timely notification, through the Information Sharing and Analysis Center for Public Transportation, of all credible terrorist threats against public transportation assets.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to award research, development, and demonstration grants to public and private entities to reduce and deter terrorist threats against public transportation systems.
Amends Federal transportation law to direct Amtrak to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board a plan to address the needs of families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents.
Authorizes the Under Secretary to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak security upgrades and freight and hazardous materials transportation and passenger rail security upgrades.
Directs the Federal Railroad Administration to set forth certain standards for welded rail and tank car safety improvements.
Requires the Under Secretary to report to specified congressional committees: (1) an assessment of the current system for preclearance and screening of rail and airline passengers and baggage, as well as freight railroad traffic, between the United States and Canada; and (2) information on progress toward finalizing a protocol with Canada on preclearance of rail passengers between the two countries.
Authorizes the Under Secretary to make operating grants and capital grants for mass transportation system security improvements.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 23, 2004 to Dec 6, 2004; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Bill Pascrell, Jr. | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Robert E. Andrews | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Rush Holt | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Steven R. Rothman | Original | Sep 23, 2004 |
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Sep 28, 2004 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Sep 28, 2004 | |
| D-PR | Anibal Acevedo-Vila | Oct 4, 2004 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Oct 6, 2004 | |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Dec 6, 2004 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Sep 23, 2004 |
| Highways and Transit Subcommittee | Referred Sep 23, 2004 | |
| Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee | Referred Sep 23, 2004 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 24, 2004Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1698)
- Sep 23, 2004Introduced in House
- Sep 23, 2004Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Sep 23, 2004Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
- Sep 23, 2004Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1698 | Robert Menendez D-NJ | Sep 24, 2004 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2273 | Rail Security Act of 2004 | Related bill | Oct 4, 2004 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide increased rail and public transportation security.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2004
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Administrative procedure
- Airline passenger traffic
- Animals
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Auditing
- Aviation agreements
- Biological warfare
- Boundaries
- Bridges
- Canada
- Capital investments
- Chemical warfare
- Chemicals
- Computer security measures
- Congress
- Congressional hearings
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal justice information
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Transportation
- Directories
- District of Columbia
- Dogs
- Drainage
- East Asia
- EBB Terrorism
- Economic impact statements
- Economics and Public Finance
- Electronic surveillance
- Emergency communication systems
- Emergency Management
- Employee training
- Environmental Protection
- Europe
- European Union
- Evacuation of civilians
- Explosives
- Families
- Family services
- Federal aid to research
- Federal aid to transportation
- Federal employees
- Fire fighters
- Fire prevention
- Freight
- Geographic information systems
- Government corporations
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Helicopters
- Hostages
- Hours of labor
- Identification devices
- Infrastructure
- International Affairs
- Japan
- Labor and Employment
- Latin America
- Law
- Liability (Law)
- Light rail transit
- Lighting
- Maryland
- Mass rapid transit
- Mexico
- Motor buses
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
- New York City
- Nuclear terrorism
- Photography
- Planning
- Police
- Police training
- Public service advertising
- Radiation safety
- Railroad commuting traffic
- Railroad employees
- Railroad engineering
- Railroad equipment
- Railroad freight operations
- Railroad passenger traffic
- Railroad safety
- Railroad terminals
- Railroads
- Recruiting of employees
- Rescue work
- Research and development
- Research grants
- Right-of-way
- Risk
- Sabotage
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Security measures
- Standards
- Steel
- Technological innovations
- Technology assessment
- Telephone
- Terminals (Transportation)
- Terrorism
- Traffic accidents and safety
- Transit police
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation of hazardous substances
- Transportation planning
- Transportation research
- Transportation workers
- Treaties
- Tunnels
- Water Resources Development
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 23, 2004Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.