June 5, 2007
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The Honorable David Price
Chairman
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
House Committee on Appropriations
B-307 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Price:
I write on behalf of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) more than 1,500 member organizations regarding the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations legislation to seek your support for increased funding for transit, passenger and freight rail security grants when the House considers such legislation today in full committee. We applaud the decision by the subcommittee to increase funding for transit security to $400 million for FY 2008. We strongly urge you to include no less than this level of funding when the full committee considers the legislation today. These funds are needed to address transit security needs throughout the country. Earlier this year, the House approved legislation that would authorize $3.36 billion for transit security grant funding over a four-year period.
Americans use public transportation for more than 10 billion trips each year. People use public transportation 34 million times each weekday, and we believe the federal government can and should do more to protect those citizens and the transit employees who serve them against terrorist acts. Terrorist attacks on transit systems in Mumbai, London, Madrid, as well as in other cities, highlight the need for the federal government to improve security in areas such as communication, surveillance, detection systems, personnel and training. Although an APTA survey has identified $6 billion in transit security needs, only $549 million in federal transit security funding has been provided through FY 2007.
We urge you to support this important funding for transit security. If you have any questions about these issues, please have your staff contact Tom Yedinak of APTA’s Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4865 or email tyedinak@apta.com.
Sincerely,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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