[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 241 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 241

     Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the railroad 
                           retirement system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 20, 1994

Mr. Pete Geren of Texas submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the railroad 
                           retirement system.

Whereas the railroad industry is acknowledged as the originator of private 
        company pensions in the United States;
Whereas, in the 1930s, the United States Congress assumed the responsibility for 
        developing a federally administered retirement program to place the 
        various railroad pension plans on a solid financial basis;
Whereas the railroad retirement system today covers over 1,500,000 individuals 
        who have contributed over the years in good faith and who have 
        legitimate expectations of receiving their benefits;
Whereas the National Performance Review in its report, ``From Red Tape to 
        Results: Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs Less'', 
        proposes to transfer the functions of the Railroad Retirement Board to 
        the Social Security Administration, to other Federal agencies, and to 
        ``private section service providers'';
Whereas this proposal would privatize and terminate a program that has worked 
        well and provided retirement security to millions of people for nearly 
        60 years;
Whereas current and future railroad retirement beneficiaries vehemently oppose 
        the transfer;
Whereas this action threatens to disrupt earned and needed benefits for 
        1,500,000 active, retired, and disabled rail workers and their families; 
        and
Whereas this proposal would adversely affect all active and retired railroad 
        employees and their families in the great State of Texas and nationwide: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) a continued Federal commitment to the railroad 
        retirement system is essential to assure the integrity of the 
        railroad retirees' benefits; and
            (2) the preservation of the present structure of the 
        railroad retirement system, including the administrative 
        framework of the Railroad Retirement Board, is necessary to 
        fulfill the time-honored responsibility of the Federal 
        Government.

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