The House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee on June 11 reported two new member bills that it said will increase Amtrak “transparency and accountability.” The legislation was announced ahead of a June 12 T&I Subcommittee hearing on the current operations and ridership, spending, and passenger rail network plans of “America’s Railroad.”
The Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayer Act (download below)—introduced by Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), Chairman of T&I’s Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee—would require Amtrak to “be subject to the same Sunshine Act requirements as other federal agencies and government-sponsored-style entities,” according to the T&I Committee.
The Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act (download below)—to be introduced by Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.)—would require Amtrak “to notify Congress when it plans to offer bonuses to executives and to publicly disclose the awarding of such bonuses,” according to the Committee.
The Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayer Act is said to apply the requirements of the Sunshine Act to Amtrak, including requirements for Amtrak’s Board of Directors meetings to be open to the public; Amtrak is not currently required by law to do so. Rep. Nehls’s legislation charges Amtrak with notifying the public of the time, place, and location of pending meetings, and allowing for public observation unless closed under a Sunshine Act exemption, according to the T&I Committee, which noted that under the Act, when a meeting is to be closed for observation, Amtrak would need to make available to the public a set of minutes providing a full and accurate summary of matters discussed and actions taken.
“The American people deserve to have a say in how their taxpayer funds are used in government-sponsored-style entities such as Amtrak,” Rep. Nehls said during the June 11 announcement.
Rep. Molinaro’s Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act would require Amtrak to notify and brief Congress 30 days before it awards any executive bonuses and to publicly disclose any executive bonuses that have been awarded through notice in the Federal Register, along with an explanation of the metrics and criteria used to determine the bonuses, according to the T&I Committee.
“Amtrak executives receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses without any public disclosure or explanation,” said Rep. Molinaro, who added that his legislation “holds the executives accountable to the riders, hardworking employees, and the people footing the bill—the American taxpayers.”
Also on June 11, a similar, companion bill was introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee (download below).
That bill, the Amtrak Transparency Act, would:
- “Expand board meeting requirements to include representatives from state-sponsored and long distance routes, and Amtrak passenger groups.
- “Mandate compliance with federal open meeting requirements, requiring a public notice at least 30 days prior.
- “Require disclosure to Congress of bonus payments exceeding $50,000 to Amtrak employees.
- “Mandate disclosure of vendor agreements and associated costs over $250,000, facilitating informed decision-making by states and rail groups.”
“My bill will pull back the curtain, allowing both Amtrak partners and the public to weigh in on Amtrak policy and decisions so that the organization better serves the taxpayer,” Sen. Fischer said.
On June 12, Rep. Nehls is scheduled to lead a hearing on Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Oversight: Promoting Performance, Safety, and Accountability. It will include testimony from Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia, and North Carolina DOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Julie White.
COMMENTARY
“Ah, the waning days of a congressional session whence mischief triumphs over serious business,” comments Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner, author Amtrak: Past, Present, Future. “Hail to the authors of legislation destined to go nowhere but the dustbin of history.
“But wait! This is, in fact, written evidence of loyalty to a Presidential candidate whose ruthless vengeance on those perceived unloyal is bottomless. The legislation is in line with the Trumpian think tank Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025—a blueprint for a second Trump Administration that, page-by-page, constructs the deconstruction of American institutions, beginning with the Justice Department and its FBI; the Department of Education; Amtrak, of course … and, well, just use Google and search for ‘Project 2025.’
“This is not to suggest that a nation with a $33 trillion charge-card debt that grows daily doesn’t face a real and present economic danger—a crowding out of private-sector investment as servicing public debt further fuels already perceived-as-too-high interest rates. The issue is not specifically Amtrak, or public transit, or even short line subsidies. We have an economy-wide challenge requiring cool-headed bipartisan effort—the stuff of Congresses past but not recent ones.
“Alas, the real villains inhabit both sides of the congressional aisle as they mimic—in refusing responsible bipartisan debate and action—the central character in Herman Melville’s 19th century novel, ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener,’ who has only one comment when it comes to work: ‘I would prefer not to.’”
Editor’s Commentary: The real waste of taxpayer dollars is holding these pointless hearings in the first place and spending time drafting pointless legislation that wastes everyone’s time. It’s just another useless political circus act that is the norm these days on Capitol Hill. If Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy could be updated, all this nonsense surrounding Amtrak would appear in the part on the Inferno, which consists of “nine concentric circles of torment.” – William C. Vantuono
