The Nation : Bill on Conrail Sale OKd

The House and Senate reached a final agreement on a bill authorizing the federal government to sell Conrail through a public stock offering, ending a stalemate that threatened to torpedo the deal. The agreement sets $2 billion as a goal for the amount to be raised through the stock sale of the federally owned freight railroad but sets no minimum price for the transaction. The sticking points during deliberations on the bill had included whether the measure should provide job protection for railroad workers who lose their jobs as a result of a merger and whether the bill should set a minimum price.