House bills would require open Amtrak meetings, notification on executive bonuses

Passenger car with large glass window at rear of train — Amtrak business/theater car *American View* trails the westbound *California Zephyr* leaving Chicago on Feb. 25, 2024. Two new bills in the U.S. House would require open Amtrak meetings and disclosure of executive bonuses. David Lassen

WASHINGTON — In advance of a scheduled Wednesday hearing on Amtrak, two members of the House Committree on Transportation and Infrastructure have announced bills regarding the passenger operators’ governance and executive bonuses.

U.S. Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas), chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, has introduced the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayer Act. It would require the organization to operate under the same open-meeting requirements as federal agencies and other government-sponsored entities, and for the board chair to provide an annual briefing to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“The American people deserve to have a say in how their taxpayer funds are used in government-sponsored-style entities such as Amtrak,” Nehls said in a press release.

Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) announced plans to introduce the Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act, which will require Amtrak to notify Congress when it plans to offer executive bonuses and to publicly disclose the awarding of such bonuses.

The bill would require an explanation of the method used to determine bonuses for 11 positions specifically named, including CEO, president, and a number of executive vice president positions, as well as “any individual whose duties and responsibilities are substantially similar” to those 11 positions.

“Amtrak executives receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses without any public disclosure or explanation,” Molinaro said. “…My bill holds the executives accountable to the riders, hardworking employees, and the people footing the bill – the American taxpayers.”

The Railroad, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee is slated to hold its hearing, “Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Oversight: Promoting Performance, Safety, and Accountability,” Wednesday at 2 p.m. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and board chair Anthony Coscia are scheduled to appear, along with Julie White, deputy secretary for multimodal transportation from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A live stream of the hearing will be available here.