The French national railway has promised to disclose its role in transporting Nazi victims to World War II death camps if California passes a bill that requires companies seeking state business to reveal any involvement in the camps.
“It’s our intention to fully comply with the bill,” said Peter Kelly, an attorney for SNCF, which is working on a bid to win a contract with the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), would require companies that want to help build or operate California’s $45 billion high-speed rail system to reveal whether they transported victims to work, concentration, prisoner of war or extermination camps.
As part of their bid, companies would have to provide records of their involvement and whether they took remedial steps for their action or paid restitution to victims.
Members of the state Senate transportation committee voted in favor of the measure June 29. Blumenfield is optimistic that the bill will be approved by the full Assembly and state Senate, be signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and go into effect by the beginning of next year.
In January, the state was awarded $2.25 billion in federal funding to help pay for the system. California voters approved $9 billion toward the system in 2008. The train is expected to zip passengers from San Francisco or Sacramento to Los Angeles at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour. — ap & jta