Rail Amendments Filed to INVEST Act

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote tomorrow on amendments to the INVEST in America Act. We’ve identified key rail amendments below, and are working with allies on the Hill to secure good outcomes.

Call your Representatives and ask them to vote yes on Moulton Amendment #67!

SUPPORT

67. Moulton (MA), Ocasio Cortez (NY), Costa (CA), DelBene (WA), Strickland (WA), Espaillat (NY), Morelle (NY), Blumenauer (OR), Maloney, Carolyn (NY), Cleaver (MO), Titus (NV) #15 Increases the PRIME program funding by $1 billion in each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, for a total increase of $5 billion.

Rail Passengers number one target, this provides a 20% increase to the PRIME program, which will be used to launch new services and upgrade existing corridors across the U.S. Given the expression of interest from communities across the country in expanding access to passenger rail, it’s critical that we provide sufficient funding to create a truly national intercity passenger rail program.

99. Titus (NV), Moulton (MA) #55 Amends the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program to add rail carriers engaged in high-speed rail activities under the eligible entities for credit risk premium subsidy payments.

Allows entities building out high-speed rail to access a government loan program that provides affordable loans for railroad capital development.

OPPOSE

6. Brady (TX) #251 (LATE) Revises the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program to add new conditions of assistance for loans and loan guarantees issued through the program.

This amendment places burdensome requirements on a loan program for freight and passenger rail that is already criminally underutilized. Congress should be removing obstacles to participation in RRIF, not creating new ones.

70. Nehls (TX) #30 Strikes Division D of the bill (rail title).

This would eliminate all passenger rail funding and policy reforms from the bill. Americans are demanding more and better trains, and this amendment should be summarily dismissed on a bipartisan basis.

80. Perry (PA) #144 Prohibits the use of funds for Amtrak Network Expansion.

This amendment would seek to prohibit expansion of the Amtrak network. With cities and towns across the country are pleading for passenger rail connections as an alternative to crowded highways, Rep. Perry’s amendment makes no sense.

97. Suozzi (NY), Kuster (NH), Cicilline (RI), Torres, Ritchie (NY), Langevin (RI), Rice, Kathleen (NY), Zeldin (NY), Lynch (MA) #188 (REVISED) Establishes a North Atlantic Rail Interstate Compact.

While Rail Passengers appreciates the interest in creating more rail connections in the northeast, creating an additional rail corporation to build out a $105 billion project while the existing Northeast Corridor is struggling with more than $50 billion in unfunded state of good repair isn’t good policy. With the need to expand passenger rail service in the rest of the U.S., the northeast should focus on upgrading the corridor it currently has.