Sec. 2. Findings

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Congress makes the following findings: Nationwide, Americans rely on 6,800 public transportation systems for their daily commute. Every weekday, public transportation riders take 35,000,000 trips. Public transportation significantly improves quality of life, saving Americans who live in areas served by public transportation systems nearly 865,000,000 hours in travel time annually. Increasingly, public transportation is becoming a target of terrorist activity. In 2004, terrorists simultaneously detonated explosives concealed inside backpacks on Madrid’s commuter train system, killing 191 and injuring nearly 2,000.

In 2005, four suicide bombers attacked London’s public transportation system, killing 52. In 2011, authorities discovered an improvised explosives device near Amtrak and commuter train tracks. The same year, German police found multiple firebombs alongside high speed rail tracks and in tunnels leading into train stations. On March 22, 2016, a coordinated terrorist attack targeted both the Brussels Airport and a metro station in the city killing 32 and injuring nearly 300 travelers.

According to the Global Terrorism Database, there were 57 terror attacks on transportation from 2006 to 2014. To ensure the continued effectiveness of public transportation, the Federal Government must balance transit system security and accessibility. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 ( Public Law 110–53 ), conferred to the Department of Homeland Security the responsibility for assuring public transportation security. A May 2016 report by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security found that the Transportation Security Administration has limited regulatory oversight of Amtrak’s passenger security.

A May 2016 report by the Government Accountability Office recommended that the Federal Air Marshal Service undertake a number of measures to ensure resources are allocated according to risk assessments. Congress must provide the agencies and municipalities with the necessary resources to combat terrorism, and continue to conduct oversight of their effective use.

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Pub. L. 110-53

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Sec. 2

Findings

Pub. L.Pub. L. 110-53

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