[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 189 (Wednesday, November 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17786-S17787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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           INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION SUNSET LEGISLATION

 Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to speak 
in support 

[[Page S 17787]]
of the Interstate Commerce Commission Sunset Act of 1995 (S. 1396), 
which provides for the orderly transfer of the residual functions of 
the Interstate Commerce Commission to an independent Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Board within the Department of Transportation.
  Pennsylvania is a rail-dependent State, and both shippers and 
railroads are in agreement that there should be no regulatory gap 
between the Commission and its successor agency during which no agency 
of the Federal Government has jurisdiction to enforce the Interstate 
Commerce Act. The fiscal year 1996 Transportation appropriations bill, 
H.R. 2002 (Pub. L. No. 104-50), provides no funding for the Commission 
effective December 31, 1995, making passage of the sunset legislation 
and a prompt House-Senate conference necessary to avoid disruption in 
the rail industry.
  I am pleased to note that the managers' amendments included language 
that I have worked on and supported, which is designed to ensure that 
this legislation maintains the balance between the rights and remedies 
of carriers and shippers incorporated into the Staggers Rail Act of 
1980, which provided new market freedoms to this industry. Several 
provisions in the reported bill could be interpreted as reregulating 
certain aspects of the railroad industry. These provisions, if left 
untouched, could undermine the Staggers Act reforms, which have worked 
well for both shippers and railroads. Therefore, I wish to thank 
Chairman Pressler, the distinguished Senator from South Dakota, and 
Senator Exon, the ranking minority member, who have worked closely with 
me, Senator Santorum, Senator Mack, and other Senators, in a bipartisan 
manner to finalize language that maintains a deregulated environment 
for our vital railroad industry as we streamline Government and provide 
for an orderly transition from the Interstate Commerce Commission to 
the Intermodal Surface Transportation Board.

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