[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 154 (Thursday, November 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11898-S11899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             AMTRAK REFORM

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to 
speak in morning business about a bill that I believe we have an 
agreement to bring up at a later time, hopefully in the next few hours. 
It is a bill that we worked on for quite a long time. We will be 
talking about it again if we are able to bring it up tonight. But I 
wanted to get a head start, because I am such a believer in passenger 
rail transportation for our country. I think we are going to come to 
closure on an Amtrak reform bill that will allow Amtrak at least to 
have a chance to succeed.
  It is not a slam dunk and there is no question that a lot of work is 
yet to be done, but I think passenger rail in America will add mobility 
for people in this country who don't have other choices. We have a 
terrific aviation system and, in fact, there are Federal subsidies of 
our aviation system. There are Federal subsidies of our highway system. 
Highways, of course, provide the most flexible mobility for people. But 
trains can also add something for people who don't live near airports.
  I think we have a chance to do something that will allow for an 
intermodal system that will serve the best needs of our country, will 
be the best for our economy and also will have, I hope, an impact on 
tourism and transportation in this country. I think it opens up a whole 
new world if we can have a good, solid transportation system with 
passenger rail as part of it.
  We have worked in this bill to try to bring the labor protections 
into line so that, basically, we won't have protections that are above 
and beyond protections that most people have in this country. But we 
would leave it to the collective bargaining system that exists between 
Amtrak and its unions. I hope, when we have the agreement, to announce 
that the protections will be gone, and that collective bargaining will 
be a viable way to determine exactly what the people who work for our 
passenger railroad will have in the way of protections and also allow 
the railroad to be competitive, because, of course, if we are going to 
have a system that will survive. I think Congress has sent the very 
clear signal that the subsidies are going to be phased out.
  But in order for the subsidies to be phased out, we are going to try 
to give Amtrak a chance to succeed.
  So I am hopeful that in the next few hours or perhaps tomorrow, we 
will, in fact, have an agreement that we can announce and we will be 
able to pass this bill, send it to the House and send it to the 
President in very short order.
  Of course, everyone knows that there is money from the budget 
reconciliation agreement that would help on the infrastructure costs 
that we think will provide efficiencies for Amtrak and make it even 
more profitable and make it more attractive for people to be able to 
take high-speed trains, especially in the corridors where there is more 
density. But the $2.3 billion that has been set aside for the 
infrastructure depends on the reform bill going through.
  The reform bill includes taking away some of the protections that are 
required in law that should be instead agreed to at the bargaining 
table, having some liability limits that will allow Amtrak and the 
railroads to buy an insurance policy so that they will know what their 
liability potentials will be.
  We also have some protections for lines that are going to go out of 
existence. Right now there is a 90-day notice for a continuance of a 
line. I ran into a problem in my State of Texas in which they didn't 
have the ability to make decisions quickly. Many State legislatures 
only meet every other year. So if they have a notice of discontinuance 
of a line, they don't even have a chance to stand up and say, ``Look, 
we will step in and try to help with some funding.''
  We need to give the States more time. We give them, in fact, 180 days 
notice, up from the 90 days notice, to give them a chance to address 
any kind of disruption in service that would affect their States.
  Second, we allow States to create interstate rail compacts. I think 
this is a very important possibility. It is not a mandate, of course, 
but it allows the States to come together. States that have commuters 
that go between two States can come together and form a compact and 
make a high-speed rail line that both States can contribute to. I think 
that should add to the ability to have more entrepreneurial spirit in 
our rail systems and perhaps allow States to work together for their 
mutual best interests.
  Third, we provide for accountability. In fact, we want an independent 
audit of Amtrak. We are going to have, thanks to Senator John McCain, 
an Amtrak reform council that is going to look at everything Amtrak is 
doing and determine if there are things they could do better, if there 
are ways they can give better and more efficient service. In fact, they 
will report to Congress on their independent recommendations and if 
they think Amtrak will be able to succeed if these recommendations, 
along with the reforms in this bill, are put into place. If not, 
Congress will face that prospect with informed choices and must act on 
them.
  I think we have a good opportunity here. I believe very much that 
Amtrak can contribute to the mobility of our country.
  It will give more citizens more access to be able to get on a train 
and, for example, go see a grandchild that they would not have an 
opportunity to do because they did not live in a city that has an 
airport. Or take Amtrak to connect to a city with a major airport, 
making Amtrak part of a connected intermodal system. These are just a 
few examples of how important it is and can be to our transportation 
system.
  So I am looking forward to discussing this bill further when the 
agreement is made and when we are able to actually act on the bill. But 
I wanted to give an outline of what we are looking at and what we are 
trying to do. I am hopeful that we will be able to do it in the very 
near future.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennett). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.

[[Page S11899]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, we are in morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.

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