[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 127 (Wednesday, October 2, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6961-H6962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NOTIFICATION OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING QUESTION OF 
                        PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE

  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House rule IX, clause 
1, I rise to give notice of my intent to present a question of 
privilege of the House.
  The form of the resolution is as follows:

             Transportation (Amtrak) Privileged Resolution

       A resolution, in accordance with House Rule IX, expressing 
     a sense of the House that its integrity has been impugned and 
     Constitutional duty hampered by the inability of the House to 
     bring to the floor the Fiscal Year 2003 Transportation 
     Appropriations Act, due to the severe under funding of the 
     National Passenger Rail Corporation (Amtrak) within the 
     President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 Budget.
       Whereas under Article I, Section IX, of the Constitution 
     states no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in 
     Consequence of Appropriations made by law.
       Whereas it is the fiscal duty of the Congress to 
     appropriate annually the funds needed to support the 
     execution of the programs and operations of the Federal 
     Government.
       Whereas to date the House has only considered five 
     Appropriations bills.
       Whereas President George W. Bush has ignored the requests 
     of Amtrak for an Appropriation of $1.2 billion, and has 
     instead proposed only $521 million in funding.
       Whereas the House Appropriations Committee gutted funding 
     for Amtrak with every Republican member on the Committee 
     voting to cut funding, despite the dire impact this will have 
     on their own districts.
       Whereas instead of strong support and consistent growth in 
     support for the nation's passenger rail system the 
     President's FY 2003 Budget seeks to strangle Amtrak so that 
     the Administration can begin to implement plans to privatize 
     the system.
       Whereas Amtrak provided a critical transportation need in 
     the months after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and 
     has seen consistent growth in ridership despite continued 
     levels of inadequate funding.
       Whereas Amtrak serves more than 500 stations in 46 states 
     and employs over 24,000 people, and Amtrak passengers on 
     Northeast corridor trains would fill 250 planes daily or over 
     91,000 flights each year.
       Resolved that it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that the Congress should complete action on 
     the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 Transportation Appropriations, with 
     an allocation of $1.2 billion for Amtrak.

                              {time}  1715

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). Under rule IX, a resolution 
offered from the floor by a Member other than the majority leader or 
minority leader as a question of the privileges of the House has 
immediate precedence only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 
legislative days after the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentlewoman from Indiana will appear in the Record at this point.

[[Page H6962]]

  The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.
  Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask to be heard at the 
appropriate time on the question of whether this resolution constitutes 
a question of privilege.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman will be notified of the time 
so designated.

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