S.Amdt. 344

1. Adds SEC. ____. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT CONGRESS SHOULD FULLY FUND AMTRAK TO PRESERVE A NATIONAL PASSENGER RAIL SYSTEM wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. ____. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT CONGRESS SHOULD FULLY FUND AMTRAK TO PRESERVE A NATIONAL PASSENGER RAIL SYSTEM.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--

   Inserted: (1) Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, served 23,400,000 passengers in fiscal year 2002;

   Inserted: (2) rail passenger service is a vital component to our national transportation system and provides travelers an alternative mode of transportation for intercity travel;

   Inserted: (3) the lack of investment and attention to the needs of passenger rail infrastructure has resulted in a weak passenger rail network, and has caused a strain on the capacity of other modes of transportation in many areas of the country;

   Inserted: (4) passenger rail is an integral part of the Unites States transportation system, relieves the pressures of congestion on highways and at airports, and creates a more balanced system of transportation alternatives; and

   Inserted: (5) the need for a balanced interstate and international transportation system that provides a viable alternative to travel by private automobile or commercial aircraft is particularly evident after the events of September 11, 2001.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that Congress should fully fund Amtrak to preserve a national passenger rail system.

   The amendment doesn't say where this goes; the clerk decides.

   Original wording

   At the appropriate place insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed