Something You Can Do Today
To Save Amtrak

From:	narp@worldweb.net
Date:	4/25/97  5:54:04PM
To:	steveg@liberty.com
Subject:	House half cent bill

To: narp@worldweb.net
From: narp@worldweb.net (NARP)
Subject: House half cent bill

To all NARP members, April 25, 1997--

Yesterday, Representative Michael Castle (R-Del.) introduced the House
version of the Amtrak gas-tax half-cent bill.  Its number is HR 1437.

Amtrak President Tom Downs addressed the NARP board of directors meeting in
Rockville, Md., today.  He said that while it's starting to look optimistic
for the Senate half cent bill (S.436), there is "a mountain to climb" in
the House.  Downs said we need 100 co-sponsors for HR 1437 within 45 days
for the bill to be viable.  So far, HR 1437 has 12 co-sponsors.

Please call, write, or e-mail your Representative right away, and ask him
or her to be a co-sponsor of HR 1437.  A visit to web site

http://www.house.gov/Whoswho.html  will tell you if your Representative
has an e-mail address, and what it is.  Always include your name and
mailing address when e-mailing Congress.

- - - - - - - -

On a related note, if you have not already done so, please contact me
(e-mail is fine, of course) if you have been leafleting anywhere.  Also,
please contact me if you would like to start leafleting somewhere.  If
someone is already leafleting where you live, I can try to put you in touch
so you can coordinate with helping out.

The current leaflet is the one that went with the February newsletter, with
the four maps on the left side, and tiny, white numerals reading "9702" in
the bottom center of the black border.  We have a supply of the leaflets,
so let me know if you need some.

There are several ways to distribute leaflets--

--Post them at your local station (with agent's knowledge) and leave a
supply there for future visitors to take away.

--Hand them to people at the station while they are waiting for the train.

--Hand them to people in the lounge car when you are traveling.

--Put them on seats or in seat-backs of coaches (again, with agent's
knowledge) on trains before they leave their originating station (example
-- once the Crescent is in the station at New Orleans, but before it has
started boarding).

Thank you for all you can do.  While the leaflet does not mention HR 1437
specifically, it does mention the half-cent concept.  If more passengers
see that leaflet -- then more of them will contact their legislators, we
will get closer to having those 100 House co-sponsors we need for HR 1437,
and we will be closer to saving passenger trains!

--Scott Leonard

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From: crocon@connix.com (Craig S. O'Connell)
Subject: HR.1437 - House Ampenny Legislation 
Sender: owner-all-aboard@taex001.tamu.edu

Dear Friends of Amtrak:

Congressman Michael Castle (D-DE) yesterday introduced into the
House of Representatives a bill that would create a dedicated
trust fund for Amtrak. The bill is known as the Intercity Rail
Trust Fund Act (HR.1437). It is cosponsored by Representatives
Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Nancy Johnson
(R-CT), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR). The
bipartisan legislation dedicates the revenues from 1/2 cent of
the federal gasoline tax (a portion of the 4.3 cents per gallon
now going to the General Fund) for Amtrak capital investments and
deposits the revenues into a Rail Trust Fund for a five year
period.

The same bill has been introduced in the Senate by William Roth,
a Delaware Republican who is chairman of the Senate Finance
committee, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a New York Democrat who
is the panel's ranking minority member.  This is S.436.

Regards,

Craig S. O'Connell
Friends of Amtrak

http://www.connix.com/~crocon/amtrak.html

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