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The House of Representatives today passed the 2008 Homeland Security Appropriations Act providing $400 million for rail and transit security, a priority that Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) has long supported to help keep New Jerseyans safe.
“New Jerseyans are especially dependent on a reliable and secure rail network,” said Rep. Holt. “This legislation is an important step in making commuters and travelers more confident that our ground transportation system is equipped to meet the challenges that it faces.”
The American Public Transportation Association estimates that the federal government has spent $7.83 per passenger on aviation security, but less than one penny per passenger on ground transportation security, even though more than 14 million people use public transportation each weekday.
“Since 2001, we have appropriately made an unprecedented investment in the security of our aviation system,” said Holt. “Despite terrorist attacks on ground transportation systems in Spain, London, India, and elsewhere, we have not made an equivalent investment in ground networks. I am pleased to see that this bill takes steps to address that shortcoming.”
In 2006, Rep. Holt successfully passed an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that increased federal funding for rail and transit security funding from $150 million to $175 million (17 percent) to be spent on security upgrades such as fences, closed-circuit cameras, and bomb-sniffing dogs. President Bush’s budget request for 2008 requested flat funding for ground transit security at $175 million. Rep. Holt led 25 colleagues in contacting the House Appropriations Committee to request a robust increase in funds for rail and ground transportation security, a request that was honored today.
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