HJ0134 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On May 16, 2017, Amtrak conductor and SMART-Transportation Division member Michael Case was shot by a passenger while performing his official duties at the Naperville Amtrak station; and

WHEREAS, While Michael Case is on a positive road to recovery, he spent 10 weeks in the hospital and endured numerous extensive surgeries; and

WHEREAS, This incident is one of 73 recorded assaults on Amtrak crewmembers since 2015; and

WHEREAS, While this most extreme example of violence is rare, we know passenger rail workers are increasingly facing other forms of violence and abuse; and

WHEREAS, There are no national standards for preventing assaults on passenger and commuter rail workers, despite the increase in assaults across the country; and

WHEREAS, Given the interstate nature of passenger rail and related concerns with transportation security, strong federal protections may be appropriate; and

WHEREAS, On the one-year anniversary of Michael Case's shooting, Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, along with U.S. Senator John Hoeven, have introduced in the U.S. Senate, the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act; and

WHEREAS, This legislation would simply provide the same federal protections for passenger rail crewmembers that airline crewmembers currently have, so that any assault or intimidation of a rail crewmember would be handled under federal law; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we support the introduction and passage of the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, and Amtrak conductor and SMART-TD member Michael Case.