Rail Security Act of 2005
Latest action · May 23, 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.
- IntroducedMay 12, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rail Security Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to: (1) develop a security assessment of railroad transportation identifying critical railroad assets and infrastructures, including threats and vulnerabilities specific to the rail transportation of hazardous materials; (2) use the security assessment to develop a transportation modal security plan that establishes a strategy for minimizing terrorist threats to railroad transportation systems; (3) develop prioritized recommendations for improving railroad security; (4) carry out a research and development (R&D) program to improve railroad security; (5) develop guidance for a rail worker security traning program to prepare rail workers for potential threat conditions; and (6) develop a national plan for public outreach and awareness to increase awareness of measures that the general public and railroad passengers and employees can take to increase railroad system security.
Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to freight and passenger railroad carriers (including shippers of hazardous materials) for security upgrades to prevent or respond to acts of terrorism or sabotage.
Authorizes appropriations to Amtrak for fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to certain tunnels in New York, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for rail employees or other persons providing information about perceived security threats.
Directs the Secretary to analyze the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and cargo on passenger trains. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) issue emergency responder training standards; and (2) provide grants to Operation Respond Institute.
Amends Federal transportation law to require the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as soon as practicable after a rail passenger accident involving a major loss of life, to: (1) designate and publicize a NTSB employee who shall be a director of support services for the families of passengers involved; and (2) designate an independent, experienced nonprofit organization with primary responsibility for coordinating the emotional care and support of such families.
Directs each rail passenger carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation and the Chairman of the NTSB a plan for addressing the needs of such families.
Directs the Secretary to establish a task force to develop a model plan to assist passenger rail carriers in responding to passenger rail accidents.
Cosponsors 18
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2005 to Jul 28, 2006, with 13 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-FL | Corrine Brown | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-CA | Juanita Millender-McDonald | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-IN | Julia Carson | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-WV | Nick J. Rahall II | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-PA | Tim Holden | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-NY | Timothy H. Bishop | Original | May 12, 2005 |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | May 16, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Jul 26, 2005 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 23, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity.
- May 13, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads.
- May 13, 2005Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E972-973)
- May 12, 2005Introduced in House
- May 12, 2005Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Administrative procedure
- Administrative remedies
- Animals
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Biological warfare
- Bridges
- Cemeteries and funerals
- Chemical warfare
- Civil actions and liability
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commemorations
- Commerce
- Compensation (Law)
- Computer networks
- Computer security measures
- Computer software
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Construction industries
- Construction workers
- Consumer education
- Cost effectiveness
- Counseling
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Labor
- Department of Transportation
- Directories
- Disciplining of employees
- Discrimination in employment
- Dismissal of employees
- District of Columbia
- Dogs
- Economics and Public Finance
- Electric power failures
- Electronic surveillance
- Emergency communication systems
- Emergency Management
- Employee training
- Energy
- Environmental Protection
- Equipment and supplies
- Evacuation of civilians
- Explosives
- Families
- Family services
- Federal advisory bodies
- Federal aid to transportation
- Federal employees
- Federal preemption
- Fire prevention
- Government contractors
- Government corporations
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Grievance procedures
- Health
- Infrastructure
- International Affairs
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Legal advertising and soliciting
- Legal fees
- Liability (Law)
- Lighting
- Local laws
- Maps
- Maryland
- Mental health services
- Minimum wages
- Monuments and memorials
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
- National Transportation Safety Board
- New York City
- Nonprofit organizations
- Northeastern States
- Nuclear terrorism
- Private police
- Public meetings
- Public relations
- Railroad employees
- Railroad engineering
- Railroad freight operations
- Railroad passenger traffic
- Railroad safety
- Railroad terminals
- Railroads
- Recruiting of employees
- Research and development
- Risk
- Sabotage
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Security measures
- Social Welfare
- State laws
- Technological innovations
- Telephone
- Terrorism
- Torts
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation of hazardous substances
- Transportation planning
- Transportation research
- Travel costs
- Tunnels
- Wage restitution
- Wages
- Whistle blowing
- Wrongful death
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 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.