Davis, Saunders & Miller reports on our Trial Attorney Joseph Miller’s recent visit to Washington, D.C. as President of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys [“ARLA”]. 

ARLA’s Legislative Team issued the following report on March 6, 2025:

ARLA’s recent participation as a Founding Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates [“ABOTA”] Civil Law Roundtable has provided additional networking opportunities and political outreach for ARLA.  At the Roundtable on March 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C., ARLA President Joe Miller and Executive Director, James Stem, met with a number of leaders across the legal community including the Presidents of the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American Association for Justice, and Defense Research Institute.  The stated goal of the Roundtable is to protect the right to jury trial in the civil justice system.  The Roundtable focused on preservation of the Rule of Law, respect for the court system, and provided a unique opportunity for ARLA to promote its core goals of protecting rail safety and furthering the rights of railroad workers nationwide.

Also, while in the Capital last week, Joe Miller and James Stem met with the legislative staffs of Louisiana Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy as well as the staff of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.  ARLA was warmly received at each of these meetings, which focused on the newly introduced Rail Safety Bill in the House (formerly the 2023 Vance-Brown Senate Bill) as well as the effect of the new administration’s DOGE initiatives. 

ARLA pressed strongly that further significant cuts to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board staffing would debilitate the agency. Currently the agency services a $28 billion pension fund for 700,000 active workers and beneficiaries with a staff of only 713.  Senator Cassidy’s staff as Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, were particularly interested in RRB’s distinction as one of the only self-funded agencies requiring very little funding from the American Tax Payer. 

These recent meetings show how ARLA’s members can effectively reach across the aisle to promote bi-partisan goals of rail safety, public safety, and the outstanding work of the RRB on behalf of all railroad workers.