A Senate committee approved legislation on Thursday to beef up U.S. rail security but gutted a proposed fee on shippers that would have raised $400 million a year to pay for port security improvements. “Rail security is a matter of national security,” said Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat and the ranking Democrat of the Commerce Committee. “It’s no longer a function we can leave to the private sector.” The $1.1 billion bipartisan measure requires the Homeland Security Department to assess U.S. railroad security risks nationwide. Just a week ago, the FBI and Homeland Security warned U.S. law enforcement agencies that al Qaeda and other groups could target U.S. trains and buses with bombs hidden in luggage. That warning followed the March 11 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and injured some 1,500. Full Story
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