Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I appreciate the hard work that went into this important legislation to ensure passenger rail service remains a viable option for travelers across the country. In particular, as a pet lover, I am very happy to see the language based on Chairman Denham's Pets on Trains legislation, which I am cosponsor of. But I do have concerns that the bill we are
going to pass today doesn't set us on a course for building out services to parts of the country that do not now have access to passenger rail.

I represent Las Vegas, which welcomes more than 42 million people from around the world to our world-class resorts, casinos, restaurants, shopping, shows, et cetera. More and more of these visitors are coming from Asia and Europe, where rail services are accessible and efficient.

Unfortunately, the last Amtrak train to service Las Vegas departed from the station on Glitter Gulch behind the Union Plaza in May of 1977.

Over the past 18 years, Las Vegas has continued its transformation into the premier international tourist destination. Since the trains stopped running, nearly a million more residents now call southern Nevada home and 10 million more people come to Las Vegas for work and play every year. This growth has put an enormous strain on our highways and airports.

While I will be supporting this legislation, I do hope, as the body advances further policies regarding passenger rail, we recognize the need to build out rail services to communities like Las Vegas, not just maintain the current system.

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