June 29, 2007
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The Honorable Joe Lieberman
Chairman
Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Government Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Lieberman:
On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) more than 1,500 member organizations, I write to express our views on the oversight and distribution of transit security grants under S. 4/H.R. 1, the legislation that implements recommendations of the 911 Commission. We believe that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should determine eligibility for transit security grants, but that an inter-agency transfer of funds should occur between DHS and the Department of Transportation (DOT), with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) distributing the grants directly to eligible transit agencies.
DHS has repeatedly failed to distribute much needed transit security grants efficiently or expeditiously. These funds should be available as quickly as possible to make security improvements which will protect the millions of Americans who use public transportation. Since the creation of the DHS, three different offices have been responsible for the distribution of transit security grants. Funds were originally distributed by the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), then the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP) and now it is known as the Office of Grants and Training (G&T). In addition, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for establishing policy for the program and must now coordinate with G&T.
Along with the organizational changes, each new office has changed the rules and the distribution process. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 under ODP, grants went directly to transit authorities. In FY 2004 under SLGCP, grants went to the State Administrating Agencies (SAAs), which then distributed grants to the transit systems. In FY 2005 under SLGCP, grants went through the SAAs, which then distributed grants to eligible transit systems on a regional basis in coordination with the urban area.
Transit systems that are eligible for DHS funds receive federal transit funding directly from FTA under current law. We believe that DHS should work with the FTA in distributing grants to take advantage of FTA’s familiarity with transit agencies and its well established and effective grant making process. While we believe Congress should continue to have DHS determine the eligibility of the grant recipient, we believe that an inter-agency transfer of funds occur between DHS and DOT, and that DOT should administer the distribution of the grants. The FTA model has been in place for many years and works well in distributing routine and reoccurring funds quickly to transit systems. In contrast, DHS’s current process and conditions have created significant barriers and time delays in getting funds into the hands of transit agencies where they can be used to protect riders. We urge Congress to get transit security grants directly to the transit agencies in a way that takes advantage of FTA’s experience and effective delivery system for reoccurring grants.
We thank you for your consideration of our views as you proceed to conference. 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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