[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3385-H3386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THINK DIFFERENTLY TRANSPORTATION ACT

  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6248) to require Amtrak to report to Congress information on 
Amtrak compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 with 
respect to trains and stations, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6248

       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 ``Think Differently 
     Transportation Act''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON AMTRAK ADA COMPLIANCE.

       Section 24315(b) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) shall include an action plan for bringing Amtrak rail 
     cars and Amtrak-served stations that are not in compliance 
     with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
     12101 et seq.) into compliance with such Act as required by 
     the settlement agreement entered into in 2020 between Amtrak 
     and the Department of Justice; and
       ``(E) shall include a status report on--
       ``(i) Amtrak-served stations for which Amtrak is solely 
     responsible for compliance with such Act based on a station 
     assessment carried out by Amtrak, including a timeline for 
     any required compliance with such Act, as required by the 
     settlement agreement;

[[Page H3386]]

       ``(ii) Amtrak-served stations for which Amtrak has a shared 
     responsibility for compliance with such Act based on a 
     station assessment carried out by Amtrak, including a 
     timeline for any required compliance with such Act for the 
     portions of the station for which Amtrak is the responsible 
     party consistent with the terms of the settlement agreement, 
     identifying who is responsible for compliance (and the status 
     of the compliance of each responsible party with such Act) 
     for such portions and the timeline for compliance in cases in 
     which Amtrak is not the responsible party; and
       ``(iii) the status of compliance with such Act for all 
     Amtrak-served stations for which Amtrak is not the 
     responsible party, nor is responsible for a portion of the 
     station, and the entity or entities that have responsibility 
     for compliance with such Act, based on a station assessment 
     carried out by Amtrak or the party responsible under such 
     Act.''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) In this subsection, the term `station assessment' 
     means a review of all components of a station including the 
     building, platform, path to train, and parking areas, as 
     required by the Access Board on the date of enactment of the 
     Think Differently Transportation Act.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Molinaro) and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 6248.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to see my bill, the Think Differently 
Transportation Act, come to the House floor.
  This is yet another item to pass the House that builds off the work 
that we began when I was county executive in New York State, in 
Dutchess County, New York, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative.
  ThinkDIFFERENTLY is a call to action to break down barriers and 
create opportunities for those living with intellectual, physical, and 
developmental disabilities.
  The Think Differently Transportation Act does just that. The bill 
requires that Amtrak submit to Congress and the President an annual 
report with an expected timeline for bringing Amtrak trains and 
stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  Amtrak stations and trains should be fully accessible for all 
Americans of every ability and fully compliant with Federal law.
  The ADA was passed in 1990 and established a 20-year timeframe for 
intercity rail stations to be accessible to those with disabilities. As 
of July 2023, sadly, Amtrak has only brought 30 percent of the 385 
stations it is responsible for into ADA compliance. This is simply 
unacceptable and creates far too many barriers for every person of 
every ability, making this bill necessary.
  The Think Differently Transportation Act is a strong bipartisan bill 
that allows Congress to have appropriate oversight of Amtrak to ensure 
it complies with its obligations under the law.
  The bill is an important step forward that Congress can take to 
address accessibility barriers to travel by rail.
  I also wish to take this time to acknowledge the original co-lead of 
this bill, the late Congressman Don Payne, Jr., who, as we know, passed 
away last month. It was an immense pleasure to work with him, and I 
would like to think that the passage of this bill would act as some 
small honor to him and his legacy to helping individuals with 
disabilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the Think Differently 
Transportation Act. It is a bipartisan bill that will advance 
accessibility on Amtrak services. I am sure my words will not be as 
eloquent as those of Mr. Payne had he been here to speak on this bill 
himself.
  Amtrak received $22 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure law to 
buy new equipment, invest in station accessibility, and make 
improvements in the backlog of capital projects and operating needs.
  Congress set specific directions for how Amtrak can use its BIL 
funds.
  With regard to station accessibility, the BIL states that Amtrak 
funds are to be used to make all the stations Amtrak serves accessible.
  The bill we are considering today would require Amtrak to report 
annually to Congress on accessibility status, improvements, and plans 
at the more than 500 stations Amtrak serves, not just the ones where it 
has the responsibility to make accessibility a priority under the 
Americans with Disabilities Act.
  Thanks to the BIL, Amtrak is investing in new equipment and new 
stations. We need assurances that these investments will take into 
account people with disabilities, as required by the ADA. This bill 
helps to do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the Think 
Differently Transportation Act and to think differently about 
transportation so it is more accessible.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say, again, that I support 
this bill, and I thank the sponsors of it. I wish Mr. Payne were here 
to see it pass, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the aisle for 
her leadership. I too wish Representative Payne, for many reasons, 
would still be here to at least celebrate this important next step.
  There are far too many barriers in the lives of those living with 
intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities. They shoulder a 
70 percent unemployment rate. Access to transportation and the ability 
to move around, as every American would hope to, creates such enormous 
barriers to opportunities.
  This Think Differently Transportation Act will help to ensure that 
Amtrak follows the basic expectation that the ADA sets into law, 
through regular reporting to both Congress and the President on 
Amtrak's progress, or lack thereof, toward ADA compliance for its 
trains and stations and all those they serve.
  This bill represents an important step toward improving Amtrak's 
service for customers of every ability.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6248, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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