CLEVELAND, December 12 — Members of the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday evening approved H.R. 10, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001, by a 369-33 majority.
It is expected the bill will be signed by President George W. Bush before the end of the calendar year.
The bill will allow workers with 30 years of service to retire at age 60, down from 62, with no reduction in benefits. It will also increase benefits for surviving spouses of railroad retirees by an average of $300 per month.
The original version of the bill, H.R. 1140, was passed by the House on July 31 by a 384-33 majority. The Senate version of the bill, H.R. 10, was approved by the Senate on December 5 by a 90-9 majority.
The BLE has provided a draft implementation schedule for its members, based on the assumption the bill is signed by President Bush this month. The implementation schedule is available here.
Results of yesterday’s vote on H.R. 10 are available on the House website. Members are encouraged to view the website to see how their member of Congress voted, but to refrain from making negative comments to legislators. Members are encouraged to call their legislators to thank them for their votes.
A link to the H.R. 10 roll call results is available here.