Your daily source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the weekly NARP Hotline.
December 1, 2015
House and Senate conferees released the final transportation bill this afternoon, the product of weeks of negotiations. In a historic win for passenger train advocates, passenger rail was included as part of a comprehensive transportation bill for the first time ever—something NARP members have been working towards for years! The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act is a five-ye...
November 11, 2015
Congressional leadership and staff are meeting in Washington, D.C. this week and next to reconcile the differences between Senate and House transportation bills. To ensure that this multi-year transportation bill gives states and Amtrak the tools they need to build a 21st Century rail transportation system, a broad coalition of passenger groups are organizing for a National Day of Action on Friday...
November 10, 2015
NARP is now offering members a new benefit: VSP Individual Vision Care. The company currently provides affordable access to high-quality eyecare and eyewear to 70 million members. An individual or family vision insurance plan from VSP typically can save hundreds of dollars on your exams and glasses. But when you sign up for a VSP plan, you not only help yourself and your family, you help NARP....
November 5, 2015
U.S. House passes STRR by a vote of 363 - 64. Train passengers successfully defeated several anti-transit amendments, and restored a key program used to fund new transit rail lines. With a surprise $40 billion in play, passenger advocacy in pushing for the DRIVE Act in the Senate-House conference negotiations process is even more important. The House...
November 4, 2015
Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) promised restive House Republicans that he’d give them a greater opportunity to affect legislation as it moved through the U.S. House. Members from both sides of the aisle responded to the less restrictive rules by flooding the transportation bill (HR 3763) with over 280 amendments! Their focus ranges from increasing funding for installation of Posit...