[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11827-S11828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, although there are a lot of good things 
in the bill we are about to debate, there is one glaring omission--
legislation to provide Amtrak with the authority to issue tax credit 
bonds for capital improvements. This bonding authority is critical to 
Amtrak's future and to the economic health of the northeast and many 
other areas of the country.
  I have discussed this issue with members of my caucus. We had a very 
spirited discussion in our caucus this morning, and I know how strongly 
they support Amtrak and this legislation. We are very disappointed this 
provision was not included in this otherwise praiseworthy legislation. 
Amtrak supporters will not give up on passing it. In order to help them 
secure enactment of this important measure next year, the majority 
leader and I have discussed and agreed on how best to proceed. I yield 
the floor to allow the majority leader to describe what that 
understanding is at this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Democratic leader for his fine 
work on this issue. I know there is a lot of passion, a lot of support 
for Amtrak. But let me remind my colleagues, I am one of those 
supporters. I have been an active supporter of the national rail 
passenger system and was very much involved a couple of years ago when 
we passed the Amtrak legislation. I had some strong opposition on our 
side of the aisle. I think we need it.
  Now, I must confess one of the reasons I think we need it is I want 
us to have good service, not just in the northeast but I also would 
like to have access from my own State of Mississippi to be able to get 
to Atlanta and Washington and Boston, and we are the beneficiaries of 
Amtrak service. I think we have to do it. I have pledged if it can't 
run efficiently, if it cannot run without going into debt, at some 
point we may want to say we just can't do that and decide what is going 
to be the successor program.
  But I also think it is guaranteed and doomed to failure if we don't 
give it an opportunity to succeed. If you don't have modern equipment, 
if you don't have the new fast trains, if you don't have a rapid rail 
system, it will not work.
  So I support this legislation. I want to commit to our colleagues 
here that I will join with Senator Daschle in cosponsoring this 
legislation next year. We will work together to get the appropriate 
hearings in the Finance Committee and hopefully in the Commerce 
Committee, too--even though this bill is under the Finance subcommittee 
jurisdiction because of the tax aspects of it--but the Amtrak part of 
it, of course, would fall under Commerce. I am on both committees and 
Senator Daschle will probably be on the Finance Committee, too. We will 
work with the ranking member and the chairman to get hearings and move 
this legislation.
  I cannot guarantee we will have the votes or that it will not be 
filibustered or that we can break a filibuster, but I think it is the 
right thing to do. I might just add, the chairman of the Amtrak board, 
Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, has been very actively involved. 
He supports this legislation. He has called me personally about this 
legislation. He really cares about it.
  When we talk about bipartisanship, transportation is an issue on 
which we have been able to work together in a bipartisan way, whether 
it is roads, AIR-21, TEA-21, Amtrak, rapid rail system. We can do it 
again.
  Maybe we can improve on this bill. We talked about that in an 
exchange yesterday. Maybe there are some things we can do, some tweaks 
that would make it better and resolve some of the concerns. And we will 
try to do that. I am prepared to make that commitment. I believe we can 
do it early next year. I am not talking about having it languish; I am 
trying to get movement on it in the first 3 months, 6 months of the 
session, so those who have reservations can offer amendments and we 
will vote on them. Hopefully, we can get it done, and I commit to do 
that.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have long been a supporter of Amtrak. I 
was chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation 
before my friend, Mr. Lautenberg, swore to support and defend the 
Constitution of the United States against all enemies of the United 
States, foreign and domestic. I was for it then. I am for it now. We 
had some problems in connection with putting this measure into this 
bill. I don't need to go into those problems here.
  But I want to assure Mr. Biden and I want to assure Mr. Lautenberg, 
and assure both leaders, that I will do anything I can next year to 
support this legislation. I am a cosponsor of the bill, and I will do 
my best to help enact it at the earliest possible date in the coming 
Congress. Like the distinguished majority leader, I can't guarantee 
anything except that I will do

[[Page S11828]]

my best to be helpful. Certainly on the Appropriations Committee, if 
there is an appropriations item, as always, I will support it. Amtrak 
comes to West Virginia. It comes 3 days a week. I wish it came more 
often.
  But I support Amtrak as much as anybody in this Chamber. We don't 
have large airports in West Virginia; all we have is highways. We 
certainly are grateful for and certainly very supportive of the limited 
amount of rail transportation we have. We used to have the Hilltopper; 
we used to have the Mountaineer in West Virginia. I have been a 
supporter of the Cardinal longer than I can remember.
  So Senators may be reassured that I shall do everything I can within 
my power next year to be helpful.
  The principal cosponsors, Mr. Lautenberg and Mr. Biden, made a strong 
case for the importance of this vital legislation. It will be a central 
part of our efforts to ensure that our Amtrak system not only is 
maintained but is also able to make necessary improvements in the 
future to ensure its continued success.
  I thank all Senators.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have been here, not as many years by far 
as most everyone on this floor right now, but it is not often that you 
see the two leaders and our longtime leader Senator Byrd, stand and say 
they will support a piece of legislation. I have never seen it happen 
before. I think this is to show the intensity of the feelings of the 
people who support this legislation, led by Senator Joe Biden. So I am 
really pleased it appears at this stage that the three leaders, Senator 
Lott, Senator Daschle, and Senator Byrd, have agreed to do this.
  I was at lunch today with Senator Hollings, who is the ranking 
Democrat on the committee of jurisdiction that may have something to do 
with this, the Commerce Committee. He said he will do everything he can 
to move this matter along. I know I will. Senator Specter, on the other 
side of the aisle, said he would do anything possible to move this 
along. This is a rare occasion in the Senate that you see this much 
support for a piece of legislation.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could ask my colleagues to defer just a 
moment, Senator Daschle and I would like to get one more unanimous 
consent agreement in. Then I would like to yield to the Senators who 
are on their feet.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, may I, with all due respect, remind 
the majority leader and the President that I yielded time based on the 
fact that I would recover the floor.
  Mr. LOTT. There is no question about it. I thought perhaps the 
Senator would want to comment, too, on what has just transpired. But I 
do want to include in the Record the fact that Senator Stevens also has 
assured our colleagues, and has reminded me again, he also commits, as 
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, his continued support for 
Amtrak.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I thank the majority leader.

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