SACRAMENTO - Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma (D- San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) released the statement below following today’s Assembly vote in support of high-speed rail:

"Six years ago, I took the ride of my life on a high-speed train that broke the world record in France. This single monumental experience reaffirmed my belief that California needed to make high-speed trains a reality. I pushed my colleagues in the Legislature to restore the budget funding and I also led the effort to put the High-Speed Rail Bond on the 2008 ballot. Even though many of my colleagues were skeptical, in the midst of a recession, 52.7% of Californians voted in favor of high-speed rail. I applaud my colleagues today for moving us one step closer to making our state the first in the nation to make high-speed trains a reality."