Bob Wise: “The fact is, as the chairman points out, this bill passed 406 to 4, left the House 406 to 4. But, Mr. Chairman, I would…”

“The fact is, as the chairman points out, this bill passed 406 to 4, left the House 406 to 4. But, Mr. Chairman, I would say to my colleagues, please note, walk 100 yards down the hall to the other body. It went nowhere. One of the reasons it went nowhere is because of the provisions in this bill as well as the provisions dealing with liability restrictions. Do we want an Amtrak bill? Do we want the trains to continue running in the Northeast corridor? Do we want to see some legislation this year? Then we have to vote against the Quinn amendment and for the LaTourette amendment. Also, because the predictions that were made 2 years ago so eloquently in the debate about what would happen if these provisions were not included in the bill have proven not to come forth. Indeed, the so-called labor protections have resulted in less than slightly more than $1,000 per severed employee, not a great sum to Amtrak. So for those reasons, 406 to 4, yes, out of this House and the bill then went absolutely nowhere. Stalled on a siding.”