Rail Transportation Security Act
Latest action · Mar 12, 2004 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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.
- IntroducedMar 12, 2004
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rail Transportation Security Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess the security risks associated with freight and intercity passenger rail transportation and develop prioritized recommendations for: (1) improving the security of rail infrastructure and other areas identified as posing significant rail-related risks to public safety and the movement of interstate commerce; (2) deploying chemical and biological weapon detection equipment; (3) training employees in terrorism response activities; and (4) identifying immediate and long-term economic impact of measures that may be required to address those risks.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review existing Department of Transportation (DOT) rail regulations to identify areas in which those regulations need to be revised to improve rail safety and security.
Directs the Comptroller General to carry out a study of the rail passenger transportation security programs in Japan, member nations of the European Union, and other foreign countries in order to identify effective rail transportation security measures in use in those foreign rail transportation systems, including innovative measures and screening procedures determined effective.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) study the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for all passengers, baggage, mail, express, and other cargo on Amtrak trains; and (2) conduct a pilot program of random security screening of passengers and baggage at a specified number of the busiest passenger rail stations served by Amtrak.
Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 for Amtrak for certain life safety and infrastructure upgrades at specified tunnels.
Cosponsors 15
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 12, 2004 to Mar 29, 2004, with 8 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-MA | Edward M. Kennedy | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-LA | John B. Breaux | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-DE | Joseph R. Biden Jr. | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| R-ME | Olympia J. Snowe | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Original | Mar 12, 2004 |
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Mar 22, 2004 | |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Inouye | Mar 22, 2004 | |
| D-CT | Joseph I. Lieberman | Mar 22, 2004 | |
| D-MD | Paul S. Sarbanes | Mar 22, 2004 | |
| D-NV | Harry Reid | Mar 29, 2004 | |
| D-NY | Hillary Rodham Clinton | Mar 29, 2004 | |
| D-NJ | Jon S. Corzine | Mar 29, 2004 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 12, 2004Introduced in Senate
- Mar 12, 2004Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Administrative procedure
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Biological warfare
- Bridges
- Chemical warfare
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Transportation
- District of Columbia
- East Asia
- EBB Terrorism
- Economic impact statements
- Economics and Public Finance
- Employee training
- Europe
- European Union
- Federal aid to transportation
- Federal employees
- Freight
- Government corporations
- Government Operations and Politics
- Infrastructure
- International Affairs
- Japan
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Maryland
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
- New York City
- Private police
- Railroad employees
- Railroad engineering
- Railroad freight operations
- Railroad passenger traffic
- Railroad safety
- Railroad terminals
- Railroads
- Recruiting of employees
- Risk
- Security measures
- Terrorism
- Transportation and Public Works
- Tunnels
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.