IV
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. RES. 29
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
JANUARY 5, 1995
Mr. CLINGER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee Ways and Means and, in addition, to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Declaring the sense of the House with respect to the Na-
tional Performance Review’s recommendation to disman-
tle 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 as-
sumed the responsibility of ensuring the financial integ-
rity 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;
•HRES 29 IH
Whereas today, over 1,200,000 railroad workers, retirees,
widows, and family members rely on the railroad retire-
ment system for retirement, disability, survivor, unem-
ployment and sickness benefits;
Whereas railroad employers and employees pay taxes into the
Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insur-
ance 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 inter-
ests of the rail industry, railway labor organizations, and
the public, respectively, fosters a close relationship be-
tween 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 elimi-
nation of the Railroad Retirement Board and the transfer
of its functions to other Federal agencies in order to real-
ize 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
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
•HRES 29 IH
(1) a continued Federal commitment to the rail-
road retirement system is essential to assure the in-
tegrity of railroad retirees’ benefits;
(2) the preservation of the present structure of
the railroad system, including the administrative
framework of the Railroad Retirement Board, is nec-
essary to fulfill the time-honored responsibility of the
Government;
(3) dismantling the railroad retirement system
will neither increase Government efficiency nor save
the American taxpayers money, but instead burden
rail workers and their families; and
(4) the National Performance Review’s proposal
to transfer administrative functions of the railroad
retirement system to other Federal agencies and
eliminate the Railroad Retirement Board should be
rejected.
Æ