Regional Rail Reorganization Act Amendments of 1975
Public Law 94-5 · S. 281 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Feb 28, 1975 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Rupert Hartke (D-IN)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Pete Domenici
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 62 yea, 30 nay62–30
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Regional Rail Reorganization Act Amendments - Requires that, in the course of the reorganization process under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, attorneys employed by the Rail Services Planning Office of the Interstate Commerce Commission protect the interests of otherwise inadequately represented communities and rails service users.
Authorizes such office to hold public hearings on any supplement to the preliminary system plan.
Provides that upon determination that the reorganization of a railroad subject to reorganization under the Bankruptcy Act shall not be proceeded with pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act, the court having jurisdiction over such railroad may, upon petition, reconsider such order.
Increases from $85,000,000 to $282,000,000 the appropriation authorization for continuing essential rail services pending implementation of a final reorganization system plan.
Authorizes the Secretary to enter into interim agreements with railroads undergoing reorganization to perform program maintenance, to improve rail properties, and to acquire rail properties for lease or loan to any such railroad. Prescribes conditions for such agreements. Allows the United States Railway Association to issue up to $300,000,000 in obligations at any one time to finance such agreements. Requires the Consolidated Rail Corporation to assume such obligations.
Prohibits any railroad in reorganizaton from withholding from any State or political subdivision thereof the portion of taxes which the railroad has collected from any tenant.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 94th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 64 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
64 yea30 nay5 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(42)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
- Sen. Lee MetcalfD-MT
- Sen. John CulverD-IA
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Philip HartD-MI
- Sen. William HathawayD-ME
- Sen. Rupert HartkeD-IN
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
- Sen. Walter MondaleD-MN
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Thomas McIntyreD-NH
- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
- Sen. Frank MossD-UT
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
- Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
- Sen. John TunneyD-CA
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
- Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. John PastoreD-RI
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Gale McGeeD-WY
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. John McClellanD-AR
- Sen. James EastlandD-MS
Republicans who voted yea(21)
- Sen. Clifford CaseR-NJ
- Sen. Edward BrookeR-MA
- Sen. Richard SchweikerR-PA
- Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
- Sen. Hugh ScottR-PA
- Sen. James PearsonR-KS
- Sen. John BeallR-MD
- Sen. Hiram FongR-HI
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Milton YoungR-ND
- Sen. William RothR-DE
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
- Sen. Roman HruskaR-NE
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 28 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. 1 yea vote was cast by members of neither major party and is highlighted on the compass but not listed. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Feb 28, 1975Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-5.
- Feb 27, 1975PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Feb 26, 1975Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment, roll call #28 (62-30).Senate roll call 28
- FloorFloor · Cloture Motion passed Senate, roll call #26 (86-8).Senate roll call 26
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment, roll call #28 (62-30).Senate roll call 28
- Feb 19, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 2051.
- Jan 30, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jan 29, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #5 (59-27).Senate roll call 5
- Jan 27, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jan 21, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.