Should Amtrak passengers give up their right to sue the railroad in the event of a crash or injury and be forced to use arbitration? A dozen U.S. Senators have proposed a bill to end that requirement.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut and U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, D-Washington, are the primary sponsors of a bill that would end the practice that was added to the terms and conditions on Amtrak tickets in January 2019.

“Amtrak added a forced arbitration provision to its tickets,” Blumenthal said on a press call Thursday. “The result is riders unknowingly sign away vital legal rights when they buy a ticket.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ, is one of the co-sponsors and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez signed a letter last November opposing the practice. He is reviewing the bill, a spokesman said.

Amtrak officials defended arbitration, saying it can provide a quicker resolution than the courts for customers usually within a year of filing a claim by avoiding unnecessary discovery and other time-consuming proceedings.

“Amtrak’s arbitration program provides a much quicker resolution of claims and much faster compensation to injured parties than court litigation, while retaining most important aspects and protections of the civil litigation system,” said Jason Williams, a spokesman in a statement.

Parties jointly select a qualified and independent arbitrator from a national roster through the American Arbitration Association. Claimants are entitled to legal representation, and the arbitrator can award damages and all other relief available under applicable law, he said.

“Arbitration can serve a good purpose if it is voluntarily,” Blumenthal said. “It should not be required or concealed, which is what happened on these tickets.”

Consumer advocates disagree with Amtrak, because forced arbitration lacks the same protections a plaintiff has in court.

“It is a secretive process. There is no public accountability, there is no right to appeal and to use discovery to get information from the company,” said Julie Duncan, American Association of Justice senior governmental affairs director. “It should be decided by a judge who is not beholden to to either side.”

If forced arbitration had been in place it would have denied the family of Robert Gildersleeve Jr. the right to sue after he was killed in the fatal crash of Amtrak train 188 outside Philadelphia in May 2015, said his brother Charles Gildersleeve of Staten Island N.Y. Robert Gildersleeve, of New Jersey, was one of eight people killed when that train entered a curve at double the speed limit and derailed.

“We were at least able to hold Amtrak responsible for this tragedy,” said Gildersleeve, who went to Philadelphia and searched for his brother for two days. “My hope is this bill will show Amtrak the public demands accountability. They should not hide behind forced arbitration.”