On the recordMarch 4, 2015
If you are on the Northeast corridor and you have never ridden the rail before because you have a pet that you either have to leave at home or a pet that you are going to drive because of, you will now have the opportunity to ride on Amtrak--not only in the Northeast corridor, but all across the country. This is something that we have had pet owners reach out to us on from every different State asking that they actually be able to do this. I can take my dog back and forth to California on the airplane. I pay an additional fee to do that, but it is something that provides me the ability to be able to travel with my pet. Why wouldn't we do that same thing on Amtrak? If Amtrak is looking for more riders, if they are looking for greater revenue, why wouldn't they be able to compete in this one more area with our airlines? I mean, this is a commonsense opportunity for those who want to take rail to actually be able to travel with their pet. I would like to say that it has been something that has not only helped us build a path, but brought on greater bipartisanship. This bill has taken a lot of work. I appreciate the chairman's work and the ranking member's work on this. It has been a great bipartisan effort. I am looking forward to its passage today.
