Public Transit Crime Prevention Act
Rep. Burchett Introduces Public Transit Crime Prevention Act to Toughen Federal Penalties for Bus and Train Attacks
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on the Judiciary for review. It is actively moving forward, but no future votes or hearings have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this legislation.
Legislative Progress
While crime is a major political issue, this bill faces hurdles because it creates very long mandatory prison sentences and moves local crimes into federal court.
Key Points
- The bill creates a new federal crime for defacing, damaging, or destroying public transit vehicles, facilities, or property through graffiti or other vandalism. It also criminalizes possessing tools like spray paint with the intent to vandalize transit systems.
From policy text
“defaces, damages, destroys, or disfigures any mass transportation vehicle, facility, or property (as such terms are defined in section 1992(d)) by means of graffiti, tagging, or other form of inscription or defacement”
View in full text - Vandalism convictions carry up to 5 years in prison. If the damage exceeds $1,000 or the person has a prior conviction for vandalism or graffiti, the maximum penalty jumps to 10 years.
- Assaulting a transit worker or passenger becomes a federal crime with a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, even for simple assault without a weapon.
From policy text
“Except as provided in paragraph (2), whoever commits an offense under subsection (a) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years, or both.”
View in full text - Aggravated assaults on transit systems, including those involving dangerous weapons or causing serious bodily injury, carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. This also applies to repeat offenders.
- Courts must order convicted offenders to pay full restitution covering the cost of repairs, cleanup, or replacement of damaged transit property. This is meant to shift costs away from transit agencies and taxpayers.
From policy text
“Upon a conviction under this section, the court shall order restitution in an amount equal to the total cost of repair to, cleanup of, or replacement of the mass transportation vehicle, facility, or property, resulting from the offense.”
View in full text - The bill applies to transit systems that affect interstate or foreign commerce or receive federal funding, giving it a very broad reach since most major public transit systems get some federal money.
From policy text
“the mass transportation vehicle, facility, or property receives Federal funding”
View in full text
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Public Transit Crime Prevention Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.