U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, will serve as the host of a public field hearing in Brooklyn on behalf of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security & Infrastructure Protection entitled, “Protecting the Mass Transit Critical Infrastructure in New York City and in the Nation.”

The hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza Branch.

“New York City serves as a model for cities across the nation in its efforts to ensure safety of the mass transit system,” said Rep. Clarke.  “I am delighted to have Chairwoman Shelia Jackson-Lee (TX) and my colleagues from the Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in central Brooklyn for this hearing.”

The purpose of the hearing is to learn about efforts to secure mass transit in New York City and how those lessons might be applied to securing mass transit across the nation.  At this hearing, perspectives on securing mass transit will be heard from the State of New York, the New York City Police Department, labor, and from the Chief of Police for the Houston METRO, to give a broader nationwide view on mass transit security.

Witnesses for the hearing are:

·         Raymond Kelly, Commissioner, New York Police Department

·         Michael Balboni, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, State of New York

·         James Little, International President, Transportation Workers Union

·         Thomas C. Lambert, Senior Vice President & Chief of Police, Department of Public Safety, Houston METRO