Amtrak Food and Beverage Service Savings Act

Amtrak Food and Beverage Service Savings Act - Revises the authority of Amtrak to provide food and beverage services on its trains.

Allows Amtrak to provide food and beverage service on its trains only if the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) selects a qualified bidder whose bid would result in the lowest cost, or the greatest source of revenue, to Amtrak. (Under current law, Amtrak may provide such services on its trains only if revenues from the services each year at least equal the cost of providing them.) Authorizes the FRA to exempt Amtrak from such requirement if no qualified bidder responds to FRA requests for proposals.

Requires the FRA to pay directly to the entity providing food and beverage service on Amtrak trains any portion of Amtrak appropriations necessary to cover a net loss, but only to the extent that it was anticipated in the bid selected.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3362 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3362

 To limit the manner in which Amtrak is authorized to provide food and 
                           beverage service.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 3, 2011

 Mrs. Schmidt (for herself, Mr. Coble, and Mr. Bucshon) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To limit the manner in which Amtrak is authorized to provide food and 
                           beverage service.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Amtrak Food and Beverage Service 
Savings Act''.

SEC. 2. AMTRAK FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE.

    (a) Authority.--Section 24305(c)(4) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ``only if revenues from the services each 
year at least equal the cost of providing the services'' and inserting 
``only as provided in subsection (g)''.
    (b) Procedures.--Section 24305 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Food and Beverage Service.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (6), 
        food and beverage service may be provided on Amtrak trains only 
        by a bidder selected by the Federal Railroad Administration 
        under paragraph (5). The Federal Railroad Administration may 
        consult with and obtain assistance from the General Services 
        Administration in carrying out this subsection.
            ``(2) Requests for proposals.--Not later than 60 days after 
        the date of enactment of this subsection, the Federal Railroad 
        Administration shall issue separate requests for proposals for 
        provision of food and beverage service on Amtrak trains on--
                    ``(A) the Northeast Corridor;
                    ``(B) other long-haul routes; and
                    ``(C) State-run routes.
            ``(3) Deadlines.--
                    ``(A) Submittal of bids.--Bids for the provision of 
                food and beverage service on Amtrak trains pursuant to 
                the requests for proposals issued under paragraph (2) 
                shall be submitted to the Federal Railroad 
                Administration not later than 60 days after the 
                issuance of the relevant request for proposals.
                    ``(B) Selection of winning bids.--The Federal 
                Railroad Administration shall select winning bidders 
                pursuant to paragraph (5) not later than 90 days after 
                the issuance of the relevant request for proposals.
            ``(4) Amtrak participation.--Amtrak may participate in the 
        bidding pursuant to a request for proposals issued under 
        paragraph (2).
            ``(5) Selection of providers.--The Federal Railroad 
        Administration shall select for the provision of food and 
        beverage service on Amtrak trains the qualified bidder 
        responding to the request for proposals issued under paragraph 
        (2) whose bid would result in the lowest cost, or the greatest 
        source of revenue, to Amtrak.
            ``(6) Exemption.--If no qualified bidder responds to the 
        request for proposals issued under paragraph (2), Amtrak, after 
        transmitting to the Federal Railroad Administration and the 
        Congress an explanation of the reasons for the need of an 
        exemption, may request from the Federal Railroad 
        Administration, and the Federal Railroad Administration may 
        grant, an exemption from the limitations under this subsection.
            ``(7) Subsidy for net loss.--The Federal Railroad 
        Administration shall provide directly to the entity providing 
        food and beverage service on Amtrak trains any portion of 
        appropriations for Amtrak necessary to cover a net loss 
        resulting from the provision of such service, but only to the 
        extent that such net loss was anticipated in the bid 
        selected.''.
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