Hotline #6-B - November 4, 1997

The Senate has not voted on the Amtrak reauthorization. It is not clear whether they will. A loud message from the public is needed, telling legislators to keep working to reach agreement on the reauthorization. Amtrak is too important to lose and Amtrak cannot afford Congress adjourning without unlocking the $2.3 billion in capital investment, or, more precisely, the half of it that Amtrak would get in February 1998.

DOT Secretary Rodney Slater announced on November 3 that Amtrak and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes had just initialed an agreement that provided for productivity increases and wage increases. Since the agreement relies on further actions by Congress, Amtrak reserved the right to cancel it if those actions do not take place. The union could strike 60 days after any such cancellation.

Republicans are furious that Slater negotiated a deal that assumes further actions by Congress, not only passage of the reauthorization, but also funding bills with additional funding bills that the Administration would support.

In the Senate, there are at least some talks continuing, aimed at trying to reach agreement on a reauthorization. However, Republicans are suspicious that passage of a reauthorization would be viewed as a sort of endorsement of the BMWE contract, even though that contract apparently would require many other actions. In the House, many Republicans seem inclined to forget Amtrak. They feel like they have worked 2-1/2 years to try to enable Amtrak to work more like a business and they have been thwarted at every turn either by the Administration or by rail labor.

Senate floor time is running short, although there are increasing doubts that Congress can adjourn by November 7. Senator Lott will not bring up the Amtrak bill unless there is a broad agreement of support for it, so it is important that such an agreement be reached as quickly as possible. The key actors all are on the Senate Commerce Committee. Republicans are Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.), Commerce Chairman John McCain (R.-Ariz.), subcommittee chairman Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.), John Kerry (D.-Mass., the lead Democrat on labor issues), and John Breaux (D.-La., the lead Democrat on liability).

James Jeffords (R.-Vt.), though not on the committee, has also been active. Along with Senators Lott, McCain, and Hutchison, Jeffords co-signed an October 31 letter to the Amtrak Board expressing grave concern about the proposal based on what they read that day in the Wall Street Journal.

If an Amtrak reauthorization has not bee passed by the time Congress adjourns, Amtrak likely would have a difficult time in December convincing its short-term lenders to extend the credit line on which it depends.

If you can't answer legislators' questions about the reauthorization, call, e-mail, or fax them to NARP, saying whether you want us to respond to you or to your legislator.

Last week, Amtrak was a pawn in a fight between Western and Eastern House Republicans. Now the Administration is intent on not offending labor on anything other than fast-track trade legislation, a high-profile issue that pits the White House against labor and makes the White House eager to please labor on everything else. Because so many Republican votes are need to pass fast-track, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R.-Ga.) is said to be dealing with President Clinton from a position of strength. It would be nice if Gingrich was interested enough in Amtrak to make resolution of that issue one of his demands on fast-track, but this seems doubtful.

Separately, SEPTA commuter rail engineers who say they are overworked have threatened to strike as early as November 9 if service is not cut 15%.