SENATOR LAUTENBERG’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR NEW JERSEY SINCE AUGUST

SENATOR LAUTENBERG’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR NEW JERSEY SINCE AUGUST
A Look Back at Lautenberg Achievements over the Past Two Months

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) achieved a string of successes in Congress over the last two months, from increasing safety on our railroads, to compensating service members affected by stop loss and giving Amtrak the funds to bring passenger rail service into the 21st century.

“I am proud we were able to deliver real results for families in New Jersey and across the nation over these past few months,” Sen. Lautenberg said.  “From making our trains and rail lines more efficient and secure, to rewarding the sacrifice of our brave men and women in combat, our work will have a real impact in New Jersey and across the country.”

Among the accomplishments:

* Bringing Rail Transportation into the 21st Century (10/1): Congress passes Sen. Lautenberg’s Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which authorizes more than $13 billion over the next five years for Amtrak, intercity passenger rail and high speed rail programs, including improving rail lines used by NJ transit.  This funding increase is nearly double what the U.S. currently spends on passenger rail service. 

* Keeping Rail Passengers Safe (10/1): Congress passes legislation that Lautenberg wrote to make America’s railroads safer for train passengers and railroad employees, as well as people who drive across or live next to railroad tracks.  Lautenberg’s Railroad Safety Enhancement Act reauthorizes rail safety programs for the first time since 1994, requires more rest time for train crews, new safety technology on trains and improved visibility for drivers and pedestrians near train crossings.

* Compensating Service Members affected by “Stop-Loss” (9/27): Congress passes a provision, which is now law, championed by Lautenberg and Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH-13) to provide a monthly bonus of up to $500 to troops affected by “stop loss,” a policy that involuntarily extends military service beyond an enlistment contract.  Lautenberg’s and Sutton’s Stop Loss Compensation Act (S. 3060) was the impetus for the new law, which was included in the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations Act and requires the Pentagon to pay affected troops a bonus in the 2009 fiscal year.

* Making College Campuses Safer (8/14): Lautenberg legislation becomes law to provide students and families with crucial fire safety records of colleges and universities.  The Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act (S. 354), written by Lautenberg and Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-08), requires campus fire safety information to be made public for the first time.

* Standing up for Terror Victims (8/04): On August 4, legislation championed by Lautenberg was signed into law to create a fund for Libya to compensate U.S. victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism.  The Libyan Claims Resolution Act (S. 3370) paved the way for a historic comprehensive claims settlement agreement to compensate American victims of Libyan terrorist attacks, which the United States and Libya signed on August 14, 2008.  On September 24th, in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Lautenberg reaffirmed his hold on the Bush Administration’s nominee to be Ambassador to Libya until U.S. victims of Libyan terror are compensated.  This is just the latest in a series of actions by Lautenberg to stand up for terror victims and fight for them to receive justice.

* Fighting for Health Care for New Jersey Children (8/14): In the face of repeated challenges from Lautenberg, the Bush Administration reverses course and announces that it will not enforce a planned directive that would jeopardize the health insurance coverage of 10,000 New Jersey children.  This action came after Lautenberg added a provision to the pending Fiscal Year 2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill to prevent the Administration plan from taking effect.

* Cleaning Up Waste at Rail Stations (10/1): Congress approves Lautenberg provisions allowing states to clean up solid waste processing facilities on rail sites, which have avoided regulation through a loophole in Federal law.  The provision will allow state standards for air pollution, water pollution and fire safety to apply to transfer facilities handling and storing solid waste in open dumps.  The provision, based on Lautenberg’s Clean Railroads Act (S.719), was included in the rail safety bill Lautenberg authored which Congress passed and sent to the President for signature.

* Improving Water Quality and Safety (9/17): The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approves two Lautenberg bills to improve water safety and infrastructure.  The first bill, the Water Infrastructure Financing Act (S. 3500), would provide funding to states to build and update water treatment facilities that keep raw sewage, toxic chemicals and other pollution out of our lakes, rivers, streams and coastal waters.  The second bill, the Sewage Right-to-Know Act (S. 2080), would help protect communities and their residents from contact with untreated sewage by regular monitoring and quickly informing residents if an overflow occurs.

* Keeping Consumers Informed About Bottled Water (9/10): Lautenberg chairs hearing in EPW Subcommittee on bottled water and introduces legislation—the Bottled Water Safety and Right to Know Act (S. 3475)—to provide consumers critical information about the origin and quality of the bottled water they are drinking—and the impact producing and disposing of these bottles has on our environment.

* GAO Agrees with Lautenberg that FAA’s Slot Auction Plan is Illegal (9/30): The Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases an opinion, requested by Lautenberg, determining that it is illegal for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to auction landing and departure slots at Newark Liberty International Airport.  In August, Lautenberg and his colleagues from New Jersey and New York—Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)—requested that the GAO examine the FAA’s slot auctions plan, which would raise costs for consumers without reducing congestion and long delays at the region’s major airports.

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