[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   APPOINTMENT BY THE MAJORITY LEADER

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair announces on behalf of the majority 
leader, pursuant to Public Law 105-134, his appointment of the 
following individuals to serve as members of the Amtrak Reform Council: 
Gilbert E. Carmichael, of Mississippi, Joseph Vranich, of Pennsylvania, 
and Paul M. Weyrich, of Virginia.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I am pleased to announce the appointment of 
three individuals to the Amtrak Reform Council--the ARC: Mr. Gilbert E. 
``Gil'' Carmichael of Mississippi, Mr. Joseph Vranich of Pennsylvania, 
and Mr. Paul M. Weyrich of Virginia. All three have years of rail 
transportation experience. All three understand and respect Amtrak's 
contributions to the American economy. All three are truly committed to 
genuine railroad reform. All three will serve for five years. All three 
will examine the fiscal performance of Amtrak.
  Each of these appointees bring many years of experience to this 
challenging railroad issue. Each brings his own particular approach to 
this transportation job.
  I've known Mr. Gil Carmichael for many years. He is a dedicated 
public servant who has already served our nation as Federal Railroad 
Administrator for President Bush and served four years on the Amtrak 
Board of Directors. He also has an impressive depth and breadth of 
knowledge on all facets of transportation--it was Gil who sponsored the 
first World Railways Congress. It brought together senior rail 
officials from around the world. so Gil knows the rail business from 
the bottom up, and he brings to the ARC that good old every-day, common 
sense approach that we Mississippians are so proud of.
  Mr. Joseph Vranich helped create Amtrak while serving as the 
Executive Director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers. 
He is a specialist on high-speed train travel, and literally wrote the 
book on so-called ``Supertrains.'' Just late last year, he published 
the most important new book on railroads, ``Derailed: What Went Wrong 
and What to Do About America's Passenger Trains.'' Mr. Vranich brings 
to the ARC a broad vision of passenger rail service, what it was, what 
it was meant to be, what it can be.
  And Mr. Paul Weyrich has over 30 years of experience with rail and 
mass transit issues. He also served on the Amtrak Board of Directors 
during the Bush administration, and has published numerous works on the 
subject. Mr. Weyrich brings the hard-boiled sensibilities of a 
newspaperman of the old school, a newspaperman good at digging for the 
facts. Just the facts for the ARC.
  The selection of these three reflects my desire to bring managerial 
expertise to Amtrak's oversight. The ARC will ensure that Amtrak spends 
the taxpayers' money wisely. The ARC's first loyalty will be to the 
American taxpay--not to the nostalgic sound of passenger trains going 
down the tracks.
  Gil, Joe and Paul are executives who will take a good, hard look at 
Amtrak, and I expect them to exercise courage and leadership. The ARC 
has the responsibility to offer sound judgment as they advise both the 
Administration and the Congress.
  I have no doubt the ARC will have a key role in shaping Amtrak's 
future.
  I'm pleased to announce that today the Speaker will also identify his 
three selections. These selections together will constitute the 
majority of the ARC.
  Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues who gave me such a rich 
list of candidates to select from. The choices were difficult.
  The Amtrak Board of Directors, the other managerial oversight body 
for Amtrak is to be renominated this summer. I hope to see new faces, a 
fresh look and a fresh approach. This would help Amtrak successfully 
deal with the cultural shift required by the new reauthorization 
statute. The combined synergy of a new board and the ARC will make a 
profound difference to the way America's passenger rail service will 
enter the next millennium.
  I look forward to seeing ARC getting started on its important task. 
America's passenger rail service will be well served by the ARC.

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