Nick Rahall: “I am pleased to support the Rail Passenger Family Assistance Act. This bill should be enacted into law because it is the…”

“I am pleased to support the Rail Passenger Family Assistance Act. This bill should be enacted into law because it is the honorable thing to do. In the 106th Congress, I cosponsored a similar bill, H.R. 2681, which the House passed on October 4, 1999, by voice vote, but the Senate did not act on the bill. I look forward to a different outcome this year. We all hope and pray that our constituents will get to their destinations safely while traveling. But the harsh reality is that sometimes tragedies do occur. Sometimes a plane or train crashes, causing a major loss of life. In times like these, when families face the shock and pain of losing a loved one, the least we can do is provide every possible consideration to them, including grief counseling and general emotional support, ensuring their privacy, and helping them to arrange a fitting memorial service. After the Valujet and TWA 800 airplane tragedies in 1996, this type of family assistance was established for the families of loved ones lost in airplane crashes, but such services do not exist for families of those lost in interstate and intercity rail passenger service.”