Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
July 12, 1991
It now appears that the mark-up of the surface transportation bill by the Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the House Public Works Committee will be July 23. The full committee mark-up will be July 25, though those dates may change. NARP has written to members of the committee supporting inclusion of intercity passenger rail in the bill's definition of flexibility. The letter also supported r...
July 5, 1991
All eyes now are on the House Public Works Committee in hopes the highway/transit bill they are now drafting will be as favorable for rail interests as S.1204 is. The Surface Transportation Subcommittee mark-up is now set for July 16, with full committee mark-up on July 18, but all important decisions are likely to have been made before the first mark-up. Public Works has yet to decide whether to...
June 21, 1991
The Senate approved S.1204, the Moynihan surface transportation bill, on a 91-7 vote on June 19. Many amendments, including provision of a watered-down national highway system and re-figuring of state allocations, were added to the bill last week, but the essence of what we were concerned about remained in the bill. That includes wide flexibility for a state to spend federal highway money on other...
June 21, 1991
The House Public Works surface transportation bill is still being drafted within the Surface Transportation Subcommittee. Mark-up is expected no earlier than July 9, with Committee mark-up possibly the following week and House floor action the week after that. No one expects a House-Senate conference before the August recess. However, good things have been learned about the draft bill. The House...
June 19, 1991
Despite debate extending over several days, the Senate still has not voted on Senator Moynihan's surface transportation bill, S.1204. However, the nucleus of the bill -- the flexibility and level-playing-field provisions -- still survives. Right now, the Senate is hearing debates on two amendments from Senator Graham (D.-Fla.). If the two amendments are tabled, we fully expect the full Senate to...