advertisement

---

At a hearing held last week, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) leaders and House transportation committee members urged Congress to increase transit security spending in fiscal-year 2007.

The Highway, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing focused on transit and bus security grants provided under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget. In FY2006, DHS allocated about $150 million in transit security grants — nowhere near the $6 billion in security needs transit agencies have identified, according to APTA.

APTA President William Millar urged congressmen to include at least $560 million for transit security grants in the FY2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, as well as $500,000 for the association’s transit security standards program.

House members also stressed the need for additional transit security funds.

“Over the past four years, Congress has appropriated only about $387 million to the Department of Homeland Security for transit grants,” said Subcommittee Chair Thomas Petri (R-Wis.).