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The House voted 407-0 to pass the Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act, a bill requiring Amtrak to publicly post the salaries and performance bonuses of its top executives.
The 'Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act' (H.R. 192) aims to increase transparency at Amtrak, a railroad corporation that receives significant federal funding. The bill requires Amtrak to publish the annual base salaries and bonus amounts for its top leaders, including the CEO and President, on its public website. It also mandates that the company explain the specific performance goals or criteria used to decide who gets a bonus and how much they receive. This vote was held under a procedure called 'suspension of the rules.' In the House of Representatives, this process is used to quickly pass bills that have broad, bipartisan support. Because it skips the usual debate and amendment steps, it requires a higher threshold of two-thirds of the members present to vote 'yes' for the bill to pass. The bill passed with unanimous support from all members who were present to vote. It now moves to the Senate for consideration. If it passes there and is signed by the President, it will become law, making the compensation of leadership at the federally backed rail company easily accessible to any taxpayer.
The bill has been received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for review.
OPEN BILL →Why it matters. This bill addresses public accountability for Amtrak, which relies on billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. It ensures the public can verify if executive pay is aligned with the company's performance.
Who’s affected. Amtrak Executives: Their base pay and performance-related bonuses will be subject to direct public scrutiny. · American Taxpayers: Gains the ability to see exactly how much top leaders at a government-backed transportation service are being paid with public funds.
Democrats. All 203 voting Democrats supported the bill to increase transparency for a government-funded entity.
Republicans. All 205 voting Republicans supported the bill, which was originally introduced by a Republican member.
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
Jan 13, 2025
The House voted 407-0 to pass the Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act, a bill requiring Amtrak to publicly post the salaries and performance bonuses of its top executives.
The House used a fast-track process called 'suspension of the rules' to pass this bill. This procedure is reserved for non-controversial legislation and requires a two-thirds supermajority to pass rather than a simple majority.
The bill has been received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for review.
This bill addresses public accountability for Amtrak, which relies on billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. It ensures the public can verify if executive pay is aligned with the company's performance.
The bill achieved a rare unanimous result, with every voting Democrat, Republican, and Independent supporting the measure.
All 203 voting Democrats supported the bill to increase transparency for a government-funded entity.
All 205 voting Republicans supported the bill, which was originally introduced by a Republican member.
The one independent member of the House voted in favor of the bill.