Texas Southern University to build transportation security center

Go Tigers!: Congress sent President Bush legislation Friday to establish a national transportation security center at Houston, Texas-based Texas Southern University, thus paving the way for millions of dollars in homeland security grants. As part of the legislation adopting the 9/11 commission’s recommendations, Houston Democratic representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green secured the designation for TSU. The Houston Chronicle reports that the center would conduct research on transportation security and develop and provide training for transportation workers. “We are clearly looking to provide administrative training for all of the personnel that work in transportation, and that’s a big step forward in our accomplishments,” said Jackson Lee, who chairs the homeland security subcommittee on transportation security and infrastructure protection. “Not only will we have money, but we’ll have experienced professionals who can help assess security needs in our community,” she added.

Green, who also serves on the Homeland Security Committee and was a negotiator of the final legislation, also welcomed the TSU designation. “Houston has one of the largest transportation infrastructures in the country,” he said. Creation of the center “will help to ensure that our city’s transportation infrastructure is also the safest in terms of security.”