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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/58991/full/58991/law-seeks-to-expose-rail-bidders-war-actions/ <br /><br /> <b>Law seeks to expose rail bidders’ war actions</b> <br /> Thursday, August 19, 2010 | by <br /><br /><p>Companies hoping for a piece of California’s future high-speed rail project would have to disclose whether they transported Holocaust victims or POWs to Nazi camps during World War II, under a bill that passed the state Senate Aug. 12.</p> <p>The measure would require companies seeking contracts with the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority to reveal any involvement in transporting people to concentration, prisoner-of-war, labor or extermination camps. They also must report whether they took remedial steps for their action or paid restitution to victims.</p> <p>The Senate voted 31-1 to approve AB619, sending it back to the Assembly for a final concurrence vote before it heads to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. The bill was authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills).</p> <p>The bill, as originally drafted, was passed by the Assembly with a 73-0 vote in May. That version of the bill would have given the rail authority the explicit power to disqualify bidders based on their disclosures. It was later amended to remove that text, but Blumenfield said he believes a company’s past actions — including restitution — should be considered as part of its bid evaluation.</p> <p>The rail authority will begin accepting bids for the $45 billion project next year, and several international railroads have expressed interest in building the 800-mile rail system. One of those, the French national railway company, SNCF, was the motivation for AB619, Blumenfield said. In 2000, SNCF commissioned and released a study of its wartime operations, which included providing trains, personnel and logistics to the Nazis. <em>— ap</em></p>

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