Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 88 Part 2.djvu/148

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PUBLIC LAW 93-488-OCT. 26, 1974

[88 STAT.

Public Law 93October 26, 1974 [S. J, Res. 250]

45 USC 701 note.

Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, amendments.

45 USC 724.

45 USC 762.

Rail services continuation subsidies, eligibility.

JOINT RESOLUTION To extend the Regional Rail Reorganization Act's reporting date, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Senate and Congress recently enacted major reorganization legislation to prevent economic disaster in the area served by the Penn Central Railroad and six other bankrupt Class I railroads (Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, Public Law 93-236); and Whereas such legislation provided for the immediate establishment of a new entity, the United States Railway Association, to plan such reorganization and to adopt and release a "preliminary system plan" within 300 days after the enactment of the legislation, and to prepare and submit the "final system plan" to the directors of the Association within 420 days after enactment, pursuant to a funding authorization not to exceed $26,000,000; and Whereas, as a result of circumstances not within the control of the Congress or the United States Railway Association, the Association was unable to commence full-scale operations until more than four months later than was contemplated in the legislation; and Whereas the Association will not be able to prepare reorganization plans for an efficient, adequate, safe, and reliable rail transportation system in the Midwest and Northeast region of the United States unless it is granted an additional 120 days in which to adopt the preliminary system plan and an additional 120 days in which to prepare the final system plan and authorization for funding for such additional period; and Whereas such legislation provided a system of rail service continuation subsidies so that shippers and local and State governments could, on a matching basis with the Federal Government, continue rail service on selected lines within a State which might not otherwise continue to be operated; and Whereas confusion has been engendered by the failure to include in such legislation a definition of which rail services are eligible for such subsidies: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assemhted, That (a) section 207(a)(1) of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (87 Stat. 985) is amended by striking the figure "300" in the first sentence thereof and substituting therefor the figure "420". (b) Section 207(c) of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (87 Stat. 985) is amended by striking the figure "420" in the first sentence thereof and substituting therefor the figure "540". (c) Section 214(c) of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (87 Stat. 985) is amended by strikinjr the figure "$26,000,000" and substituting therefor the figure "$40,000,000". (d) Section 402(c) of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (87 Stat. 985) is amended by inserting " (1) " before the first sentence thereof, redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) as subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D), respectively, and by adding the following new paragraph: "(2) Rail freight services eligible for rail service continuation subsidies pursuant to subsection (b) of this section are— " (A) those rail services of railroads in reorganization in the region which the final system plan does not designate to be continued; " (B) those rail services in the region which have been at any time during the 5 year period prior to the date of enactment of

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