CLEVELAND, April 4 -- Rail labor lobbyists have now secured 256
co-sponsors for H.R. 1140, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors'
Improvement Act of 2001.
In general terms, two-thirds of the members of Congress must support a
measure in order for it to have a legitimate chance to pass. With 256
co-sponsors in the House, H.R. 1140 has now surpassed that important
plateau. The next step is to secure 290 co-sponsors, which would -- if
necessary -- make H.R. 1140 "veto-proof." Last year, H.R. 4844 has 305
co-sponsors and was passed by a 391-25 majority.
H.R. 1140 replaces last year's H.R. 4844. It contains all the benefit
improvements originally agreed to by rail management and labor --
long-needed improvements in the surviving spouse benefit, full retirement
annuity at age 60 with 30 years of service, elimination of artificial caps
on benefits, vesting after five years instead of 10, and provisions that
require the carriers to insure future fund solvency with future tax
increases if necessary.
To temper the success rail labor lobbyists have enjoyed in the House of
Representatives, statements contained in President George W. Bush's 2001
budget proposal threaten timely passage of H.R. 1140.
"The railroad retirement system's pension program is not fully funded
like other private industry pension plans; indeed, there is a $39.7
billion unfunded liability," Bush states in his budget proposal. "Any
examination of the program should set as first priorities ending taxpayer
subsidies to the program and ensuring the industry funds its workers'
pensions."
The portion of Bush's
budget proposal containing the above statements can be found on the
White House website at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/usbudget/blueprint/bud36.html
- A summary of H.R. 1140 is available on the House Transportation
& Infrastructure Committee website at:
- http://www.house.gov/transportation/rail/summary.html
We encourage BLE and GIA members to write and thank their
Representative(s) if they are on the list below. If your member of
Congress is not on this list, then we encourage BLE and GIA members to ask
him/her to co-sponsor H.R. 1140. Correspondence should be addressed
to:
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Washington, D.C. 20515
- Telephone: U.S. Capitol, (202) 224-3121
- Internet: http://www.house.gov/
-
- What follows is the list of H.R. 1140's 256 co-sponsors, as of April
4, 2001; the list is broken down alphabetically by state, then by
district:
-
- Alaska
- 1. Young (R-AK-AL)*#
-
- Alabama
- 2. Callahan (R-AL-1)
- 3. Bachus (R-AL-6)#
- 4. Hilliard (D-AL-7)
-
- Arizona
- 5. Pastor (D-AZ-2)
-
- Arkansas
- 6. Berry (D-AR-1)#
- 7. Snyder (D-AR-2)
- 8. Hutchinson (R-AR-3)#
- 9. Ross (D-AR-4)
-
- California
- 10. Thompson (D-CA-1)
- 11. Dolittle (R-CA-4)
- 12. Matsui (D-CA-5)+
- 13. Miller, George (D-CA-7)
- 14. Lee (D-CA-9)
- 15. Tauscher (D-CA-10)#
- 16. Pombo (R-CA-11)#
- 17. Lantos (D-CA-12)
- 18. Stark (D-CA-13)+
- 19. Condit (D-CA-18)
- 20. Berman (D-CA-26)
- 21. Becerra (D-CA-30)+
- 22. Roybal-Allard (D-CA-33)
- 23. Napolitano (D-CA-34)
- 24. Horn (R-CA-38)#
- 25. Baca (D-CA-42)
- 26. Filner (D-CA-50)#
-
- Colorado
- 27. DeGette (D-CO-1)
- 28. Udall, M (D-CO-2)
-
- Connecticut
- 29. Simmons (R-CT-2)#
- 30. DeLauro (D-CT-3)
-
- District of Columbia
- 31. Norton (D-DC-AL)#
-
- Florida
- 32. Brown, C (D-FL-3)#
- 33. Crenshaw (R-FL-4)
- 34. Thurman (D-FL-5)+
- 35. Mica (R-FL-7)#
- 36. Davis, J (D-FL-11)
- 37. Foley (R-FL-16)+
- 38. Meek (D-FL-17)
- 39. Hastings (D-FL-23)
-
- Georgia
- 40. Bishop (D-GA-2)
- 41. Collins (R-GA-3)+
- 42. McKinney (D-GA-4)
- 43. Lewis, J (D-GA-5)+
- 44. Isakson (R-GA-6)#
- 45. Chambliss (R-GA-8)
- 46. Norwood (R-GA-10)
-
- Hawaii
- 47. Abercrombie (D-HI-1)
- 48. Mink (D-HI-2)
-
- Idaho
- 49. Otter (R-ID-1)#
- 50. Simpson (R-ID-2)#
-
- Illinois
- 51. Rush (D-IL-1)
- 52. Jackson (D-IL-2)
- 53. Lipinski (D-IL-3)#
- 54. Gutierrez (D-IL-4)
- 55. Blagojevich (D-IL-5)
- 56. Hyde (R-IL-6)
- 57. Schakowsky (D-IL-9)
- 58. Weller (R-IL-11)+
- 59. Costello (D-IL-12)#
- 60. Johnson (R-IL-15)#
- 61. Evans (D-IL-17)
- 62. LaHood (R-IL-18)
- 63. Phelps (D-IL-19)
- 64. Shimkus (R-IL-20)
-
- Indiana
- 65. Visclosky (D-IN-1)
- 66. Roemer (D-IN-3)
- 67. Kerns (R-IN-7)#
- 68. Hill (D-IN-9)
- 69. Carson (D-IN-10)
-
- Iowa
- 70. Leach (R-IA-1)
- 71. Boswell (D-IA-3)#
- 72. Ganske (R-IA-4)
- 73. Latham (R-IA-5)
-
- Kansas
- 74. Moran (R-KS-1)#
- 75. Moore (D-KS-3)
- 76. Tiahrt (R-KS-4)
-
- Kentucky
- 77. Whitfield (R-KY-1)
- 78. Lewis, R (R-KY-2)+
- 79. Lucas (D-KY-4)
- 80. Fletcher (R-KY-6)
-
- Louisana
- 81. Jefferson (D-LA-2)+
- 82. Tauzin (R-LA-3)
- 83. Cooksey (R-LA-5)#
- 84. Baker (R-LA-6)#
- 85. John (D-LA-7)
-
- Maine
- 86. Baldacci (D-ME-2)#
-
- Maryland
- 87. Gilchrest (R-MD-1)#
- 88. Ehrlich (R-MD-2)
- 89. Cardin (D-MD-3)+
- 90. Wynn (D-MD-4)
- 91. Hoyer (D-MD-5)
- 92. Bartlett (R-MD-6)
- 93. Cummings (D-MD-7)#
- 94. Morella (R-MD-8)
-
- Massachusetts
- 95. Olver (D-MA-1)
- 96. McGovern (D-MA-3)#
- 97. Frank (D-MA-4)
- 98. Tierney (D-MA-6)
- 99. Markey (D-MA-7)
- 100. Moakley (D-MA-9)
- 101. Delahunt (D-MA-10)
-
- Michigan
- 102. Stupak (D-MI-1)
- 103. Ehlers (R-MI-3)#
- 104. Camp (R-MI-4)+
- 105. Barcia (D-MI-5)#
- 106. Upton (R-MI-6)
- 107. Kildee (D-MI-9)
- 108. Bonior (D-MI-10)
- 109. Conyers (D-MI-14)
- 110. Kilpatrick (D-MI-15)
- 111. Dingell (D-MI-16)
-
- Minnesota
- 112. Gutknecht (R-MN-1)
- 113. McCollum (D-MN-4)
- 114. Sabo (D-MN-5)
- 115. Luther (D-MN-6)
- 116. Peterson (D-MN-7)
- 117. Oberstar (D-MN-8)*#
-
- Mississippi
- 118. Wicker (R-MS-1)
- 119. Thompson, B (D-MS-3)
- 120. Shows (D-MS-4)
-
- Missouri
- 121. Clay (D-MO-1)
- 122. Gephardt (D-MO-3)
- 123. Skelton (D-MO-4)
- 124. Blunt (R-MO-7)
- 125. Emerson (R-MO-8)
-
- Nebraska
- 126. Bereuter (R-NE-1)#
- 127. Terry (R-NE-2)
- 128. Osborne (R-NE-3)
-
- Nevada
- 129. Berkley (D-NV-1)#
-
- New Jersey
- 130. Andrews (D-NJ-1)
- 131. LoBiondo (R-NJ-2)#
- 132. Saxton (R-NJ-3)
- 133. Smith, C (R-NJ-4)
- 134. Roukema (R-NJ-5)
- 135. Pallone (D-NJ-6)
- 136. Ferguson (R-NJ-7)#
- 137. Payne (D-NJ-10)
- 138. Holt (D-NJ-12)
- 139. Menendez (D-NJ-13)#
-
- New Mexico
- 140. Skeen (R-NM-2)
- 141. Udall, T (D-NM-3)
-
- New York
- 142. Grucci (R-NY-1)
- 143. Israel (R-NY-2)
- 144. King (R-NY-3)
- 145. McCarthy (D-NY-4)
- 146. Meeks (D-NY-6)
- 147. Crowley (D-NY-7)
- 148. Nadler (D-NY-8)#
- 149. Weiner (D-NY-9)
- 150. Towns (D-NY-10)
- 151. Owens (D-NY-11)
- 152. Velazquez (D-NY-12)
- 153. Maloney (D-NY-14)
- 154. Rangel (D-NY-15)+
- 155. Kelly (R-NY-19)#
- 156. Gilman (R-NY-20)
- 157. McNulty (D-NY-21)+
- 158. Sweeney (R-NY-22)
- 159. Boehlert (R-NY-23)#
- 160. McHugh (R-NY-24)
- 161. Walsh (R-NY-25)
- 162. Hinchey (D-NY-26)
- 163. Slaughter (D-NY-28)
- 164. LaFalce (D-NY-29)
- 165. Quinn (R-NY-30)*#
-
- North Carolina
- 166. Clayton (D-NC-1)
- 167. Etheridge (D-NC-2)
- 168. Jones (R-NC-3)
- 169. Burr (R-NC-5)
- 170. Hayes (R-NC-8)#
- 171. Myrick (R-NC-9)
- 172. Watt (D-NC-12)
-
- Ohio
- 173. Gillmor (R-OH-5)
- 174. Strickland (D-OH-6)
- 175. Boehner (R-OH-8)
- 176. Kaptur (D-OH-9)
- 177. Kucinich (D-OH-10)
- 178. Tubbs-Jones (D-OH-11)
- 179. Brown (D-OH-13)
- 180. Pryce (R-OH-15)
- 181. Traficant (D-OH-17)
- 182. Ney (R-OH-18)
- 183. LaTourette (R-OH-19)#
-
- Oklahoma