I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 265 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak to submit to 

Congress an annual report with respect to the implementation of certain 

recommendations of the Amtrak Food and Beverage Working Group 

for improving the food and beverage service of Amtrak, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2025 

Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak 

to submit to Congress an annual report with respect 

to the implementation of certain recommendations of the 

Amtrak Food and Beverage Working Group for improving the food and beverage service of Amtrak, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Train Furtherance of 

5 Outstanding Onboard Dining Act’’ or the ‘‘Train FOOD 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. OVERSIGHT OF IMPLEMENTATION BY AMTRAK OF 

2 RECOMMENDATIONS OF AMTRAK FOOD AND 

3 BEVERAGE WORKING GROUP. 

4 (a) ANNUAL AMTRAK REPORT.—Section 24321 of 

5 title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub7 section (f); and 

8 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol9 lowing new subsections: 

10 ‘‘(d) IMPLEMENTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

11 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

12 after the date of enactment of the Train Further13 ance of Outstanding Onboard Dining Act, Amtrak 

14 shall establish an advisory committee to provide in15 ternal review with respect to the implementation by 

16 Amtrak of the recommendations contained in the re17 port under subsection (b). 

18 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory committee 

19 shall consist of individuals representing— 

20 ‘‘(A) Amtrak; 

21 ‘‘(B) the labor organizations representing 

22 Amtrak employees who prepare or provide on23 board food and beverage service; 

24 ‘‘(C) nonprofit organizations representing 

25 Amtrak passengers; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) States that are providing funding for 

2 State-supported routes. 

3 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION.—The advisory committee 

4 shall terminate on the date on which Amtrak sub5 mits the final report required under subsection 

6 (e)(1). 

7 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION STATUS REPORT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

9 after the date of enactment of the Train Further10 ance of Outstanding Onboard Dining Act and annu11 ally thereafter until such time as all recommenda12 tions contained in the report under subsection (b) 

13 are implemented by Amtrak or determined by Am14 trak to be impractical or impossible to implement, 

15 Amtrak shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) submit to the Committee on Com17 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen18 ate and the Committee on Transportation and 

19 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

20 a report on the status of the implementation of 

21 each such recommendation; and 

22 ‘‘(B) make the report available on a pub23 licly accessible website of Amtrak. 

24 ‘‘(2) REPORT CONTENTS.—Each report under 

25 paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of the progress made by 

2 Amtrak in implementing each recommendation 

3 contained in the report under subsection (b); 

4 ‘‘(B) identification of each such rec5 ommendation for which implementation is com6 plete; 

7 ‘‘(C) identification of each such rec8 ommendation that Amtrak determines to be im9 practical or impossible to implement; 

10 ‘‘(D) for each recommendation identified 

11 under subparagraph (C)— 

12 ‘‘(i) the justification for the deter13 mination that the recommendation is im14 practical or impossible to implement; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) if the justification is all, or in 

16 part, attributable to insufficient funding, 

17 an estimated cost of implementing the rec18 ommendation; 

19 ‘‘(E) a description of how, if at all, food 

20 and beverage service of Amtrak has changed— 

21 ‘‘(i) if in the initial report, since the 

22 date of enactment of the Train Further23 ance of Outstanding Onboard Dining Act; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) if in a subsequent report, since 

2 the date on which the previous report was 

3 finalized; and 

4 ‘‘(F) comments submitted by the advisory 

5 committee to Amtrak regarding the information 

6 included under subparagraphs (A) through 

7 (E).’’. 

8 (b) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

10 of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 

11 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 

12 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

13 the House of Representatives a report describing the 

14 progress made by Amtrak in implementing each rec15 ommendation contained in the report under section 

16 24321(b) of title 49, United States Code. 

Æ 


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