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To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak to make traditional dining and an alternative, more affordable food and beverage service available to passengers on overnight routes of Amtrak, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill requires Amtrak to provide food and beverage service on all overnight routes (routes departing and arriving on different dates). On each covered route, Amtrak must offer traditional dining (seated service with wait staff in a designated car) to the extent practicable, as well as an alternative, more affordable food and beverage service available to all passengers. The traditional dining must include at least one healthy meal option consistent with U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and must accommodate pre-ordered meals for passengers with dietary restrictions. Unused traditional dining capacity from First or Business Class must be offered to Coach passengers on a first-come, first-serve basis for a fee. The Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations to implement these requirements.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN)
6 cosponsors
Actions (3)
- Jan 10, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. · house
- Jan 9, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. · house
- Jan 9, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 9, 2025
Mr. Cohen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require Amtrak to make traditional dining and an alternative, more affordable food and beverage service available to passengers on overnight routes of Amtrak, and for other purposes.
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 “Train Establishment of Appetizing Table Service Act” or the “Train EATS Act”.
SEC. 2. FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS ON OVERNIGHT ROUTES OF AMTRAK.
(a) In General.—Chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: “Sec. 24324. Food and beverage service requirements on overnight routes of Amtrak.
“(a) In General.—On each covered route, Amtrak shall make available—
“(1) to the extend practicable, in accordance with subsection (b), traditional dining; and
“(2) to all passengers an alternative food and beverage service that is more affordable than traditional dining.
“(b) Priority of Traditional Dining Capacity.—On each covered route on which traditional dining is available, Amtrak shall offer any traditional dining capacity not otherwise used by passengers in First Class or Business Class to passengers traveling in Coach Class (or other base fare class ticket) for a fee on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“(c) Traditional Dining Meal Options.—Amtrak shall ensure that traditional dining on a covered route includes—
“(1) a healthy meal option; and
“(2) upon pre-order from a passenger to whom traditional dining is offered, meals that satisfy the dietary restrictions of the passenger.
“(d) Regulations.—The Secretary of Transportation shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this section.
“(e) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) Covered route.—The term ‘covered route’ means a rail passenger transportation route operated by Amtrak that is scheduled to depart and arrive on different dates.
“(2) Healthy meal option.—The term ‘healthy meal option’ means a meal the nutritional contents of which are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans established under section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341).
“(3) Traditional dining.—With respect to rail passenger transportation, the term ‘traditional dining’ means a food and beverage service—
“(A) for which a passenger is seated at a table in a car designated solely for such food and beverage service to order and eat a meal; and
“(B) that is serviced by wait staff.”.
(b) Clerical Amendments.—The analysis for chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
“24324. Food and beverage service requirements on overnight routes of Amtrak.”. <all>
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