Happening Now
Hotline #673-A
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 approve the Moynihan bill at some point after 7:35 pm. Because we expect the bill to pass, we will not change this message again until the normal Friday evening time.
Last week, the Moynihan bill was challenged by a coalition of donor-state Senators led by Senator Warner (R.-Va.). Their bill contained none of the flexibility language and would have been very harmful. An amendment containing many of the Warner bill's provisions was introduced yesterday by Senator Graham and defeated. However, an amendment by Senator Byrd (D.-W.Va.) was approved last night that represents a compromise on the donor-state issue within the Moynihan bill, without harming the flexibility language.
"The National Association of Railroad Passengers has done yeoman work over the years and in fact if it weren’t for NARP, I'd be surprised if Amtrak were still in possession of as a large a network as they have. So they've done good work, they're very good on the factual case."
Robert Gallamore, Director of Transportation Center at Northwestern University and former Federal Railroad Administration official, Director of Transportation Center at Northwestern University
November 17, 2005, on The Leonard Lopate Show (with guest host Chris Bannon), WNYC New York.
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