Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, at long last we have an Amtrak reform bill here on the floor which has strong bipartisan support. It is a bill which has the reforms in it which are so necessary. It is a bill which provides for the board, which is the creation of a new board which is constitutional and which has the degree of independence necessary to make the tough decisions. It provides for the management to be able to make decisions with regard to the route configuration. Indeed, it gives Amtrak a fighting chance to succeed and survive. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 738, the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that we have been able to reach a bipartisan agreement on an amendment to S. 738. Over the past 24 hours, we have been able to reach consensus with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle on the issue of the Amtrak board of directors. This amendment will provide Amtrak with the reforms it so badly needs, as well as release of the $2.3 billion in capital funds that were provided in the Taxpayer Relief Act.”