[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 190 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 190

  Recognizing 50 years of service by the National Railroad Passenger 
                 Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2021

 Ms. Cantwell (for herself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. 
Tester, Mr. Moran, Mr. Markey, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Baldwin, 
   and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing 50 years of service by the National Railroad Passenger 
                 Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak.

Whereas, on October 30, 1970, Congress enacted the Rail Passenger Service Act of 
        1970 (Public Law 91-518; 84 Stat. 1327), which created the National 
        Railroad Passenger Corporation (commonly known and referred to in this 
        preamble as ``Amtrak'') to assume the responsibility of providing the 
        United States with nationwide passenger rail service, which began on May 
        1, 1971;
Whereas May 1, 2021, marks 50 years since the date Amtrak began providing 
        passenger rail service to individuals in the United States;
Whereas Amtrak connects over 500 communities across 46 States, the District of 
        Columbia, and 3 Canadian Provinces;
Whereas, in 2019, Amtrak provided over 32,000,000 trips, the highest yearly 
        ridership in its history;
Whereas the total annual economic impact of Amtrak and the passengers it serves 
        across the United States exceeds $8,000,000,000;
Whereas Amtrak has formed valuable partnerships with 17 States to operate 28 
        regionalized routes, which resulted in 15,400,000 trips in 2019;
Whereas Amtrak operates 15 long-distance routes that resulted in 4,600,000 trips 
        in 2019;
Whereas the Acela and the Northeast Regional, 2 services of Amtrak along the 
        Northeast Corridor, provided 12,500,000 trips in 2019; and
Whereas Amtrak provides a number of essential services and public benefits, 
        which include--

    (1) serving as the only source of public transportation in many rural 
communities;

    (2) employing approximately 16,000 people and supporting tens of 
thousands of additional jobs in the communities it serves; and

    (3) because Amtrak is 47 percent more energy efficient than car travel 
and 33 percent more energy efficient than air travel (as measured by 
passenger miles), providing an environmentally friendly way to travel: Now, 
therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
            (1) 50 years of service by the National Railroad Passenger 
        Corporation (commonly known and referred to in this resolution 
        as ``Amtrak'');
            (2) the need for safe and affordable national passenger 
        rail service in the United States;
            (3) that Amtrak provides a vital connection for both urban 
        and rural communities throughout the United States and, in the 
        process, contributes to the economic growth of those 
        communities; and
            (4) that the restoration and expansion of the services that 
        Amtrak provides is in the interest of the United States.
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