The Senate Budget Committee on March 6 voted unanimously to advance the bipartisan Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, which aims to protect railroad employees from cuts to unemployment and sickness insurance and eliminate mandated cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board’s Unemployment Insurance Account.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has formed a committee to advise on “plans and approaches for transportation innovation,” which it said comprises 27 members who were selected across sectors, geographies and areas of expertise.
Two rail industry associations and two unions teamed recently to encourage Congressional support of the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act (REEF Act; H.R.2785/S.1274), which they said would “eliminate cuts to railroad unemployment and sickness benefits.”
