47 U.S. Senators now support historic 
Railroad Retirement Reform bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 18) – As of Friday, 47 U.S. Senators – including 29 Democrats and 18 Republicans – have publicly pledged to support quick action on the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2000.

All 47 Senators have signed on to a letter sent to the leadership of the Senate Finance Committee expressing "support for and quick action on the Railroad Retirement Reform proposal."

"In about one week after the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the Railroad Retirement bill, we now have nearly a majority of the Senate who are pushing for bipartisan ratification of this bill as quickly as possible," said UTU International President Charles L. Little. "This railroad retirement bill deserves to be passed, and it is gratifying to see so many senators agree."

The 13-member Rail Labor Coalition, which now also includes the BMWE and BLE, had been lobbying the Senate since H.R. 4844 passed the House in early September.

Last week, 30 senators send a letter to Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth (R-Del.) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), the ranking minority member, supporting H.R.4844. Since the 30 senators originally sent the letter, 17 more senators have signed on.

The Republican Senators who signed the letter include: John Ashcroft (Mo.), Robert Bennett (Ut.), Sam Brownback (Kan.), Jim Bunning (Ken.), Conrad Burns (Mon.), Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Larry Craig (Id.), Mike Crapo (Id.), Michael DeWine (Oh), Rod Grams (Minn.), Charles Hagel (Neb.), Orrin Hatch (Ut.), Jesse Helms (N.C.), Rick Santorum (Pa.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Arlen Specter (Pa.), John Warner (Va.),

The Democratic Senators who signed the letter include: Daniel Akaka (Ha.), Max Baucus (Mon.), Joseph Biden (Del.), Jeff Bingaman, (D-N.M.), John Breaux (La.), Max Cleland (Ga.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Zell Miller (Ga.), Christopher Dodd (Ct.), Bryon Dorgan (N.D.), Richard Durbin (Ill.), John Edwards (N.C.), Diane Feinstein (D-Cal.), Tom Harkin (Ia.), Tim Johnson (S.D.), Daniel Inouye (Ha.), Bob Kerrey (Neb.), John Kerry (Mass.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (Ver.), Carl Levin (Mich.), Blanche L. Lincoln (D-Ark.), Barbara Mikulski (Md.), Zell Miller (Ga.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Chuck Robb (Va.), Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Robert Toricelli (N.J.), Paul Wellstone (Minn.), Ron Wyden (Ore.).

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