1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing Congress to fund the Amtrak system to 
  1.3             enable it to continue to serve Minnesota.  
  1.4      
  1.5      WHEREAS, the national railroad passenger corporation, known 
  1.6   as Amtrak, provides vitally important service to the people of 
  1.7   Minnesota; and 
  1.8      WHEREAS, over 162,000 persons arrive and depart from points 
  1.9   in Minnesota using the Amtrak system; and 
  1.10     WHEREAS, Amtrak provides necessary rail connections between 
  1.11  Minnesota and the rest of the country; and 
  1.12     WHEREAS, Amtrak makes significant contributions to the 
  1.13  Minnesota economy through a payroll of over $3,000,000 in the 
  1.14  state and purchase of nearly $5,000,000 in supplies and 
  1.15  equipment; and 
  1.16     WHEREAS, budget reductions for Amtrak now being discussed 
  1.17  in the Congress threaten the existence of Amtrak as a national 
  1.18  rail system; and 
  1.19     WHEREAS, these budget reductions would harm Minnesota 
  1.20  through drastic reductions in service and lost contributions to 
  1.21  the state's economy; NOW, THEREFORE, 
  1.22     BE IT RESOLVED, by the legislature of the state of 
  1.23  Minnesota, that Congress should provide funding for the Amtrak 
  1.24  system that would allow it to continue as a true national system 
  2.1   and continue to serve the people of Minnesota. 
  2.2      BE IF FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State of 
  2.3   Minnesota transmit enrolled copies of this memorial to the 
  2.4   President of the United States, the President and Secretary of 
  2.5   the United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United 
  2.6   States House of Representatives, and to Minnesota's Senators and 
  2.7   Representatives in Congress.