Subject: URGENT MICHIGAN ACTION ITEM: Contact Governor Granholm
Importance: High To NARP Members in Michigan, August 6, 2004--
The final fiscal 2004 Supplemental Appropriations bill approved by the
Michigan House and Senate late Wednesday night (before they adjourned
for the summer recess) contains very serious anti-Amtrak language. The
text of Section 805 reads as follows:
"Sec. 805. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a public
transportation entity shall not receive state operating assistance for a
scheduled regular route service which is competing with another private
or public carrier over the same route. In situations where there is a
duplicate service, either both the public and private carriers shall
receive the same level of operating assistance or neither one shall
receive operating assistance."
This language, if signed by the Governor, would bring an end to the Pere
Marquette and Blue Water.
We have been told that that when the contents of the bill were explained
to the individual members, there was no mention of the fact that this
language was added. So in other words, members were never given an
opportunity to express their opposition to the language.
At this point, the only way to remove the offending language is for
Governor Jennifer Granholm to use the line-item veto. Please contact
Governor Granholm immediately and ask her to strike Section 805 from the
fiscal 2004 Supplemental Appropriations bill.
You may contact Governor Granholm as follows. Since time is of the
essence, U.S. Mail is not practical:
Lansing: Phone (517) 373-3400, Fax (517) 335-6863
Detroit-area office: (313) 456-0010
Upper Peninsula office (Marquette): (906) 228-2850
You may also send an e-mail to the Governor via. webform at http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-2...65331--,00.html
(note that you will not receive a response)
Thank you as always for your efforts to preserve these rail services!
--David Johnson
NARP Assistant Director
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