[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 203 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10275-H10276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BANNING SMOKING ON AMTRAK ACT OF 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2726) to amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit 
smoking on Amtrak trains.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2726

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Banning Smoking on Amtrak 
     Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON SMOKING ON AMTRAK TRAINS.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 243 of title 49, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 24323. Prohibition on smoking on Amtrak trains

       ``(a) Prohibition.--Beginning on the date of enactment of 
     the Banning Smoking on Amtrak Act of 2019, Amtrak shall 
     prohibit smoking on board Amtrak trains.
       ``(b) Electronic Cigarettes.--
       ``(1) Inclusion.--The use of an electronic cigarette shall 
     be treated as smoking for purposes of this section.
       ``(2) Electronic cigarette defined.--In this section, the 
     term `electronic cigarette' means a device that delivers 
     nicotine or other substances to a user of the device in the 
     form of a vapor that is inhaled to simulate the experience of 
     smoking.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
     chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

``24323. Prohibition on smoking on Amtrak trains.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Bost) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2726.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today, I rise to ask that the House pass my bill, the Banning Smoking 
on Amtrak Act of 2019. I thank my friends, Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio and Railroads, Pipelines, 
and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chair   Daniel Lipinski, for 
marking up my bill in committee and allowing it to move forward to the 
full House.
  My bill would codify Amtrak's internal policy prohibiting smoking, 
including smoking electronic cigarettes, on trains, which, in light of 
all the evidence of harm, should be codified.
  This bill is modeled on a bill I got enacted while in the minority as 
part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 that clarified that the 
smoking ban on airplanes includes electronic cigarettes. This bill is 
not only an outgrowth of my desire to ensure healthy environments on 
all the Nation's transportation modes, which I strive to carry out as 
chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, but importantly, it is 
also the result of the advocacy of an 11-year old child who was 
concerned to see electronic cigarette smoking on an Amtrak train.
  Although Amtrak should be commended for implementing its own internal 
policy banning smoking on trains in 1993, that policy could always be 
repealed. My bill would make the ban a matter of federal law and put 
Congress on record in support of protecting passengers from secondhand 
smoke, as it has done in banning e-cigarettes on airplanes.
  Smoking bans have been a critical tool in protecting people from the 
effects of secondhand smoke because it is known to increase the risk of 
serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, such as coronary heart 
disease, lung cancer, and emphysema, among others.
  The World Health Organization considers the tobacco epidemic to be 
one of the largest public health threats in the world, killing more 
than 7 million people a year. While more than 6 million of those deaths 
are the result of direct tobacco use, around 890,000, close to a 
million, nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke die as a result every 
year.
  Under my bill, smoking would be banned on Amtrak trains in the same 
manner as airline travel. According to the WHO--this is important to 
note--there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even 
short-term exposure can potentially increase the risk of heart attacks. 
All the more reason to ask the House to support my bill.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support the bill before them.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2726, the Banning Smoking on Amtrak Act of 2019, is 
commonsense legislation. I thank the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) for her leadership on this bill.
  Current Amtrak policy prohibits smoking on Amtrak trains, Thruway 
buses, and in stations. This prohibition includes smoking tobacco 
products and electronic smoking devices such as e-cigarettes.
  H.R. 2726 seeks to codify Amtrak's internal policies prohibiting 
smoking, including electronic cigarettes, on its trains.
  The bill is modeled after Congresswoman Norton's prior bill enacted 
into law in 2018 as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act that clarified 
the smoking ban on airplanes includes electronic cigarettes.
  The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed this bill 
by voice vote, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1530

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), my good friend.
  Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2726, which 
simply codifies existing internal policy at Amtrak that prohibits 
smoking or use of electronic cigarettes on Amtrak's trains.
  Amtrak instituted this policy in 1993 and has since updated it to 
address the use of electronic smoking devices. I think this is very 
important.
  Last year, we addressed a similar gap in the code and included a 
provision in the FAA Reauthorization Act to prohibit the use of 
electronic cigarettes on airplanes.
  This bill once again puts Congress on the record as supporting 
protections for the traveling public from the risk of secondhand smoke.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, obviously, from the conversations we have had 
here today, this is commonsense legislation.
  You know, we have banned smoking and also know the problems we faced 
this last year with e-cigarettes, the reasons and concerns that are out 
there.
  This is commonsense legislation that I believe a majority of our 
constituents are in agreement with. This just codifies into law the 
past practices of Amtrak.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of my friend from 
the other side.
  You can see that this is a bipartisan bill, and no wonder. When my 
friend was in the majority, a similar bill was supported banning 
smoking. This is as quintessentially a bipartisan bill as one could 
have in the House, and I very much appreciate the remarks of my friend.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Takano). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2726.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.

[[Page H10276]]

  

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________