Bob Wise: “I have just been handed a letter from Secretary Slater, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, writing…”

“I have just been handed a letter from Secretary Slater, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, writing about the legislative situation today and strongly urging the House of Representatives to approve the recommittal motion to be offered by our ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar]. He notes that the Senate bill that will be in the recommittal motion and has passed the Senate unanimously, the Lott-Hutchison bill, represents many weeks of negotiations and is a compromise that passed unanimously. If adopted without change, it will free up to $2.2 billion in capital funding, not operation and maintenance but capital funding, that Amtrak desperately needs to improve its equipment and infrastructure throughout the Nation. He also says that if the House adopts the Senate-passed version of Senate bill 738, the President will sign this bill. The administration intends to implement the Senate-passed Amtrak bill in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution. He is adding his voice and that of the administration to the urging that the House adopt the Senate language in the Oberstar recommittal motion. Mr. Speaker, I think it should be noted that the Senate-passed language, as I have noted previously, contains significant labor and liability reforms.”