Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2005
Latest action · Mar 9, 2005 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity.
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.
- IntroducedJan 4, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2005 - Directs the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security to complete a vulnerability assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation, and 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 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 at five Amtrak passenger rail stations.
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 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, freight, 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 assess 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, including progress on a rail passenger preclearance protocol.
Authorizes the Under Secretary to make operating grants and capital grants for mass transportation system security improvements.
Cosponsors 35
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 5, 2005 to Sep 13, 2005.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn McCarthy | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Edolphus Towns | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Major R. Owens | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Rush Holt | Apr 5, 2005 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Homeland Security Committee | Referred Jan 4, 2005 |
| Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee | Referred Mar 9, 2005 | |
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Jan 4, 2005 |
| Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee | Referred Jan 5, 2005 | |
| Highways and Transit Subcommittee | Referred Jan 5, 2005 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 9, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity.
- Jan 5, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads.
- Jan 5, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
- Jan 4, 2005Introduced in House
- Jan 4, 2005Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E21)
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 E21 | Robert Menendez D-NJ | Jan 4, 2005 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1379 | Rail Security Act of 2005 | Related bill | Jul 11, 2005 |
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 2005
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
- 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.
- Jan 4, 2005Introduced 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.