§1138 Public Transportation Research and Development

Summary

The Secretary of Homeland Security must run a research and development program through the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) in the Science and Technology Directorate. HSARPA will work with the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Transit Administration to make public transportation systems safer from terrorist attacks. The Department can give grants or contracts to public or private groups to study and test technologies and methods that stop attacks or reduce harm. Allowed work includes researching detection systems for chemical, biological, radiological, or explosive threats that do not block passenger access; imaging tools; product testing; stronger backup communications, power, and train control systems; protection for tunnels, bridges, and elevated structures; ways to reduce cyberattack damage; and other related technologies. The Department must consult the Chief Privacy Officer and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and follow sections 142 and 345 for privacy reviews. Grantees must report yearly on fund use. Funds must match the National Strategy for Public Transportation Security and coordinate with other research to avoid duplication. Misspent funds must be returned to the U.S. Treasury. Funding authorized: such sums as necessary for fiscal year 2007 and $25,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.