{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/chairman-graves-welcomes-kcpd-chief-graves-t-i-roundtable-improving-safety-us", "Chairman Graves Welcomes KCPD Chief Graves to T & I Roundtable on Improving Safety on U.S. Transit Systems", "2025-09-19", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Republican Conference, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) joined in calling for improving the safety of America\u2019s public transportation systems, following a roundtable meeting on the issue today held by T&I\u2019s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.\n\nGraves invited Kansas City Chief of Police Stacey Graves to participate in today\u2019s bipartisan closed-door roundtable discussion with transit and law enforcement officials and stakeholders.\n\nGraves continued, \u201cThe next surface transportation reauthorization bill that our committee is currently developing will seek to make federal transit programs work for the traveling public, transit system workers, and taxpayers who expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely for the public good. Fortunately, the Trump Administration, Secretary Duffy, and FTA Administrator Molinaro are also making safety on our transit systems a top priority of the Federal Transit Administration\u2019s. I look forward to working with them, my committee colleagues, the stakeholders at today\u2019s roundtable, and others to bolster the safety of our publicly funded transit systems. I also want to thank Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves for participating in today\u2019s roundtable and providing the Committee with an invaluable law enforcement perspective on this important public safety issue.\u201d\n\nCongressman David Rouzer (R-NC), Chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led the discussion on the need to identify actionable solutions to improve safety on publicly funded transportation systems and restore the public\u2019s trust in transit.\n\n\u201cThe recent deadly stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte\u2019s light rail is a stark reminder safety must be at the center of our national transit conversation,\u201d said Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC). \u201cWhile law enforcement and the justice system have their obligations to keep the public safe and ensure that justice prevails, Congress has an obligation to address any shortcomings that threaten public safety and implement appropriate measures of deterrence and prevention. This roundtable was an essential step in ensuring every rider can feel safe when they step onto public transit. By bringing together transit leaders and law enforcement, we\u2019re focused on real, actionable solutions to protect riders, strengthen community confidence, and uphold the fundamental promise of safe, accessible public transportation systems for all Americans.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt was impossible not to think of the safety of my own daughter when watching the video of Iryna Zarutka\u2019s brutal murder,\u201d said House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI). \u201cNo parent should have to fear for their child\u2019s safety on a city bus or train. I stand with Chairman Graves, Chairman Rouzer, and the Trump Administration as they move fast to crack down on crime, secure our transit systems, and restore law and order so American families can travel without fear.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs President Trump and Secretary Duffy have made clear, the safety of American families, including those relying on our transit systems to provide for their families, pursue an education, and make those important medical appointments, is a top priority for this Administration. FTA will continue to hold our transit partners and their leaders accountable until we see significant progress in the experience our commuters and transit workers are living through in our major cities. We\u2019ve been given a mandate to clean up our buses and subways and we will deliver for the moms, dads, and children relying on these public services,\u201d said Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Marcus Molinaro, who participated in today\u2019s roundtable.\n\nAccording to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), crime on public transportation systems has been generally worse since the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to the five years prior to the pandemic, the average number of homicides on transit systems more than doubled in the five-year period between 2020 and 2024. Over the same period, assaults on transit systems increased by 80 percent. Recently, on August 22, 2025, Iryna Zarutska was murdered on the light rail system in Charlotte.\n\nThe T&I Committee and the Highways and Transit Subcommittee are in the ongoing process of developing a major bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill for this Congress; this bill will provide funding authorizations and policy changes for federal highways, transit, and other surface transportation programs. The current surface transportation authorization expires on September 30, 2026. One of the chairmen\u2019s goals for the transit portion of the reauthorization bill will be to make transit work for communities of all sizes by ensuring that transit services are safe and reliable. Criminal activity on transit systems can undermine public confidence, decrease ridership, and damage the effectiveness and sustainability of those systems.\n\nTransit and law enforcement officials and stakeholders who participated in today\u2019s roundtable:\n\nFederal Transit Administration Administrator Marcus Molinaro\n\nAmerican Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and Chief Executive Officer Paul P. Skoutelas\n\nWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke\n\nKansas City, Missouri Police Chief Stacey Graves\n\nTransportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO President Greg Regan", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/chairman-graves-welcomes-kcpd-chief-graves-t-i-roundtable-improving-safety-us"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.012102097272873, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}