IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 582

Declaring the sense of the House with respect to the National Performance

Review’s recommendation to dismantle the railroad retirement system.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 7, 1994

Mr. CLINGER submitted the following resolution; which was referred jointly to

the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means

RESOLUTION

Declaring the sense of the House with respect to the National Performance Review’s recommendation to dismantle the railroad retirement system.

Whereas the railroad industry pioneered the establishment of

private industrial pension plans in the United States;

Whereas in the wake of the Great Depression, Congress assumed the responsibility of ensuring the financial integrity of railroad pension plans by developing a federally

administered retirement program;

Whereas for nearly 60 years, millions of rail workers have

contributed in good faith to a railroad retirement system

which has generally served them well;

Whereas today, over 1,200,000 railroad workers, retirees,

widows, and family members rely on the railroad retire-
2

•HRES 582 IH

ment system for retirement, disability, survivor, unemployment and sickness benefits;

Whereas railroad employers and employees pay taxes into the

Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Trust Funds to finance the administration of the

railroad retirement system;

Whereas only vested dual benefits are appropriated from the

general treasury;

Whereas the structure of the Railroad Retirement Board,

which includes 3 members selected to represent the interests of the rail industry, railway labor organizations, and

the public, respectively, fosters a close relationship between management and labor;

Whereas the National Performance Review’s report ‘‘From

Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government That

Works Better and Costs Less’’ recommends the elimination of the Railroad Retirement Board and the transfer

of its functions to other Federal agencies in order to realize greater Government efficiency and cost savings;

Whereas railroad retirees, employees, and their families in

Pennsylvania and throughout the country strongly oppose

this proposal; and

Whereas previous Administrations have proposed dismantling

the railroad retirement system and failed to implement

such recommendations: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) a continued Federal commitment to the rail4 road retirement system is essential to assure the in5 tegrity of railroad retirees’ benefits;
3

•HRES 582 IH

1 (2) the preservation of the present structure of

2 the railroad system, including the administrative

3 framework of the Railroad Retirement Board, is nec4 essary to fulfill the time-honored responsibility of the

5 Government;

6 (3) dismantling the railroad retirement system

7 will neither increase Government efficiency nor save

8 the American taxpayers money, but instead burden

9 rail workers and their families; and

10 (4) the National Performance Review’s proposal

11 to transfer administrative functions of the railroad

12 retirement system to other Federal agencies and

13 eliminate the Railroad Retirement Board should be

14 rejected.

Æ