WASHINGTON — Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a bill Tuesday to ascertain a federal job drive addressing violence on public transit and increase reporting of these incidents to Congress, weeks after a younger lady was horrifically stabbed to demise on a Charlotte, NC gentle rail automobile.
The Transit Crime Reporting Act would set up a 12-member job drive chaired by the Federal Transit Administrator to compile a report inside two years offering suggestions on how one can halt violent acts on public transportation.
The four-page invoice would additionally require Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to tell the committees overseeing public transportation points in Congress about “all crime occurring on federally funded transit techniques that transit businesses are required to report back to the Nationwide Transit Database.”
“Each American deserves to really feel protected touring to work, faculty, or anyplace else on public transit. Nobody ought to ever concern for his or her life whereas making an attempt to go to highschool or to and from work,” mentioned Scott, who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing and City Affairs Committee.
“This laws takes significant steps to enhance transparency and establish options so our communities can depend on protected, safe, and accessible transit.”
Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally knifed Aug. 22 by a homeless felon who had already served a five-year sentence for armed theft.
Decarlos Brown Jr., whose household mentioned he was a paranoid schizophrenic, was charged federally with committing an act inflicting demise on a mass transportation system.
Brown had 14 prior arrests and was freed on cashless bail — a coverage opposed by President Trump and Republicans — months earlier than following apprehension on a cost of constructing a false 911 report.
The 34-year-old can also be going through a first-degree state homicide cost for the caught-on-camera stabbing.
Zarutska had fled Ukraine following Russia's invasion for a safer life within the US. She was headed residence from her shift at a neighborhood pizzeria when Brown boarded the sunshine rail and sat within the seat straight behind her, in response to surveillance footage.
“The tragic homicide of Iryna Zarutska underscored many challenges going through Charlotte and the remainder of the nation, together with security considerations on public transit,” Tillis mentioned.
“By enhancing how we monitor violence on public transit, this invoice may assist us take significant steps to make sure riders in Charlotte and throughout the nation can make the most of transit with out concern.”
