Senate Republicans on Tuesday introduced legislation to create a federal task force aimed at reducing violent incidents on public transportation and to expand reporting of transit crime to Congress, weeks after the fatal stabbing of a young woman on a Charlotte light rail car.
The Transit Crime Reporting Act, filed by Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), would establish a 12-member task force chaired by the Federal Transit Administrator and require a report within two years with recommendations to curb violence on public transit. The four-page bill also directs the Transportation Secretary, named in the bill as Sean Duffy, to inform congressional committees that oversee public transportation about “all crime occurring on federally funded transit systems that transit agencies are required to report to the National Transit Database.”
“Every American deserves to feel safe traveling to work, school, or anywhere else on public transit. No one should ever fear for their life while trying to go to school or to and from work,” Scott, who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said in a statement announcing the bill. “This legislation takes meaningful steps to improve transparency and identify solutions so our communities can rely on safe, secure, and accessible transit.”
The measure was introduced in the wake of the Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had resettled in the United States after fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Surveillance footage showed the woman returning home from a shift at a local pizzeria when a man later identified as Decarlos Brown Jr. boarded the light rail and sat behind her before a fatal stabbing.
Brown, 34, has been charged federally with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system and faces a first-degree murder charge in state court. Authorities said he had roughly 14 prior arrests. Brown's family has described him as having paranoid schizophrenia. Officials said he had been released on cashless bail months earlier following an arrest on a charge of making a false 911 report; cashless-bail policies have been criticized by President Donald Trump and many Republican lawmakers.
“The tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska underscored many challenges facing Charlotte and the rest of the nation, including safety concerns on public transit,” Tillis said. “By improving how we track violence on public transit, this bill could help us take meaningful steps to ensure riders in Charlotte and across the country can utilize transit without fear.”
Under the bill, the task force would be charged with compiling a comprehensive set of findings and concrete recommendations within two years. Those recommendations would address how to gather and share data on crimes occurring on federally funded transit systems and propose measures to prevent and respond to violent incidents.
Supporters of the bill said improved reporting and centralized study could provide lawmakers and transit agencies with better information to identify trends and intervene earlier. Critics of similar proposals have sometimes raised concerns about federal overreach into locally run transit systems and the potential cost of implementing new reporting requirements.
The legislation joins a broader national conversation about rider safety, homelessness, mental health and law enforcement responses on public transit systems following several high-profile incidents around the country. If enacted, the bill would require federal officials to provide more timely information to the congressional panels that oversee transit policy and funding, potentially shaping future oversight and funding decisions.
The bill was introduced as a simple, four-page measure and will require consideration in the Senate. Lawmakers and transit officials will weigh the proposal against other approaches to improving safety and accountability on public transportation systems nationwide.