March 13, 2007
Statement

Floor Statement on Enacting 9/11 Commission Recommendations

MR. REED: Madam President, today the Senate will vote on a matter of utmost importance--enacting the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations. Since their publication 2 1/2 years ago, roughly half of the recommendations have been left unaddressed, while many that have been adopted into law have not been effectively implemented. S. 4, the Improving America's Security Act, is a critical step to ensuring our Nation's safety.

This bill includes an important new interoperability grant program. Tragedies such as September 11, the Station Fire in my home State of Rhode Island, and Hurricane Katrina have demonstrated the need for interoperable communications equipment among first responders. More communities require access to funding to create interoperable communications networks, and I have long supported increasing accessibility for interoperability grants to local and state governments.

I am also pleased that this bill includes a transit security program that I helped author as a member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. The committee has been well aware of the need for this legislation since the tragic events of 9/11, spending significant time and effort to improve our Nation's transit security system. The Senate has passed transit security legislation in the last two Congresses, only to have them each stall prior to enactment. While our Nation acted quickly after 9/11 to secure airports and airplanes against terrorists, major vulnerabilities remain in surface transportation. As the 9/11 Commission concluded, ``opportunities to do harm are as great, or greater, in maritime and surface transportation'' as in commercial aviation. The time to act is now.

Transit is vital to providing mobility for millions of Americans and offers tremendous economic benefits to our Nation. In the United States, people use public transportation over 32 million times each weekday compared to 2 million passengers who fly daily. Paradoxically, it is the very openness of the system that makes it vulnerable to terrorism. When one considers this and the fact that roughly $7 per passenger is invested in aviation security, but less than one cent is invested in the security of each transit passenger, the need for an authorized transit security program is clear.

In addition, the bill provides important protections for Transportation Security Officers at the Transportation Security Administration that have been long absent, including whistleblower protections, the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board, and certain collective bargaining rights.

Lastly, while Providence is now 1 of 39 urban areas eligible for the Urban Area Security Initiative grants, something that I have long sought, believing the city faces risks from terrorism, I was disappointed that Senator Leahy's amendment to restore the minimum allocation to 0.75 percent for States under the State Homeland Security Grant Program failed. With this funding, Rhode Island has been able to make critical improvements, but adequate funding is still needed, and it is my hope that the highest minimum funding level will prevail in conference with the House of Representatives.

Implementing the final recommendations of the 9/11 Commission builds and improves on the work that has been done since the attacks of September 11, and I am pleased to support this bill.

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