National Defense Rail Act

1)S 104; HR 2726, National Defense Rail Act, all provisions related to the funding of Amtrak. 2) S 6, Comprehensive Homeland Security Act of 2003, all provisions related to Amtrak funding for security and safety. 3) S 413, Asbestos Claims Criteria and Compensation Act of 2003, all provisions related to the protection of railroad employees under FELA. 4) S 1125, Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolutions Act of 2003, all provisions related to the protection of railroad employees under FELA. 5) S 304, Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, all provisions related to benefits for union employees and their families. 6) S 317; HR 1119, Family Time and Workplace Flexibility Act, all provisions related to workers' compensation for overtime for workers. 7) HR 2571, Rail Infrastructure Development and Expansion Act for the 21st Century, all provisions related to rail-improvement funding. 8) HR 2572, Amtrak Reauthorization Act of 2003, all provisions related to the funding of Amtrak. 9) S 1501, Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act, all provisions related to Amtrak. 10) S 1505, American Rail Equity Act of 2003, all provisions related to Amtrak. 11) S 9, Pension Protection and Expansion Act of 2003, all provisions related to railroad annuity benefits. 12) HR 1384, a bill to amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to eliminate a limitation on benefits, all provisions related to limitations on railroad retirement annuity benefits. 13) HConRes 95, a bill establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2004 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2003 and 2005 through 2013, all provisions related to railroad retirement benefits. 14) S 1389, Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2003, all provisions related to collective bargaining agreements. 15) S 1402, Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act, all provisions related to the safety of rail workers. 16) S 1109, Build America Bonds Act of 2003, all provisions related to railroads. 17) HR 2615; S 1409, Rebuild America Act of 2003, all provisions related to funding for infrastructure investment; enhancement of security transportation and environment facilities. 18) HR 1617, National Rail Infrastructure Program Act, all provisions related to railroad improvement and operations. 19) HR 993, Labor Management Accountability Act, all provisions related to filing requirements and civil monetary penalties on unions filing financial reporting late or not at all. 20) HR 906, Surface Transportation Safety Act of 2003, all provisions related to railroad-highway crossings. 21) S 1072; HR 2088, Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003, all provisions related to railway safety programs. 22) HR 876, Local Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2003, all provisions related to income tax for expenditures for the maintenance of railroad tracks. 23) HR 2378, Railroad Safety Reform Act of 2003, all provisions related to safety practices of the railroad industry. 24) HR 1815, Rail Line Relocation Act of 2003, all provisions related to providing financial assistance for rail line relocation projects. 25) HR 874, Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2003, all provisions related to rail passenger accidents. 26) HR 3550; HR 3994, Transportation Equity Act; A Legacy for Users, all provisions related to funding safety railroad crossings programs. 27) HR 4818, Omnibus FY2005 Appropriations, all provisions related to transportation and labor. 28) HR 5025; S 2806, Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, all provisions related to transportation funding. 29) HR 5006; S 2810, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005, all provisions related to rail transportation. 30) S 2687, Express Carrier Employee Protection Act, all provisions related to Railway Protection Act. 31) S 1765; HR 391, National Right-To-Work Act, all provisions related to labor protection. 32) HR 308, bill to provide for the resolution of certain labor issues relating to the merger of the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Railroad, all provisions related to labor protection.

Client expense: $260,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Labor, Dept of (DOL), SENATE, Surface Transportation Board (STB), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), White House Office

The IBEW supported passage of legislation that would fully fund Amtrak at the $1.2 billion level. A balanced transportation system that provides a viable alternative to travel by automobile or commercial airliner would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil imports, and our dependency on foreign oil. Rail Infrastructure Bill References: H.R. 2571, H.R. 2572, H.R. 2726, S. 104. The IBEW supported the inclusion of an exemption to Hours of Service for USV drivers in the TEA-21 Reauthorization bill (Highway bill – unnumbered). The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Standards Administration issued its final Hours of Service (HOS) that regulates the maximum driving time for operators of commercial motor vehicles (gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more). The intent of the rule was to improve highway safety and help reduce the number of truck crashes and related fatalities on our nation’s roads. However, drivers of utility service vehicles (USVs) who work for contractors and utilities have been ensnared in the rule, making it difficult for companies to respond to outages. The new rule’s limitation on driving hours makes it nearly impossible for daytime utility workers to be called out in the evenings to respond to emergencies. Restricting employees’ ability to restore telephone or electric service would have the effect of eroding the overall reliability of the telephone or electrical system.

Client expense: $340,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: General Services Administration (GSA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Labor, Dept of (DOL), SENATE, Transportation, Dept of (DOT)