The TCU Legislative Department hopes everyone had a fun and safe holiday season and wishes you the best in this New Year! And to ring in 2016, we wanted to provide a recap of the happenings in DC last month. This past December there was much to celebrate for TCU members as Santa arrived a
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed their Surface Transportation bill (a.k.a. “Highway” bill). After votes on over 100 amendments, the bill eventually passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 363-64. Notably, the House rejected the Ribble amendment that would have increased truck weight limitations. TCU had urgedlawmakers numerous times to strike the language, and it
On Wednesday, Congress moved to extend the Positive Train Control (PTC) deadline by three years, clearing the way for railroads to continue operations as they work to properly install, test, and fully implement the new safety network. The bipartisan legislation that was worked out between House and Senate committee staff was attached to the Surface
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sarah Feinberg as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Feinberg had been serving as Acting Administrator for the past nine months. Ed Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), issued a statement applauding her confirmation: “…In the nine months that Feinberg has served as Acting Administrator,
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a six-year, $325 billion reauthorization bill for our nation’s highway and transit programs. The bill provides $261 billion for highways and $55 billion for transit, and the rest being assigned to safety programs. The Committee is scheduled to begin the markup process on Thursday, October 22nd. With an
The Transportation Communications Union/IAM applauds the bipartisan efforts of House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-IL) and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in introducing an extension of the deadline to install Positive Train Control (PTC) on our nation’s railways. Their proposed legislation contrasts with the Senate’s proposal by including reporting requirements and an enforceable
In the aftermath of recent incidents on our nation’s railways – including the deadly derailment of the Amtrak Northeast Regional outside Philadelphia – lawmakers and the general public have been pushing for increased safety. Front-and-center in this debate has been the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems to our nation’s railroads. In 2008, Congress
On Monday, July 27th, TCU National Vice President and Legislative Director Ron Kloos joined John Risch of the SMART Transportation Division in asking the U.S. Senate to support a revised deadline for rail carriers to implement Positive Train Control (PTC). The letter asks Senators not to allow a PTC extension to derail a potential long-term
As Congress heads home for the month of August they are again “kicking the can” – this time on the Surface Transportation (“Highway”) bill. While the Senate passed its version of the bill, the House of Representatives has refused to bring up the legislation before going on vacation. Now, instead of passing a 6-year authorization
