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HR9248FEDERALFederal Billfiled

Railroad Responsibility Act of 2024

Record date · August 3, 2024

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill would allow individual states to pass their own laws limiting how long trains can block s. Currently, federal law often prevents states from regulating these delays, but this change would grant states the authority to set their own time limits.

Why it matters

If passed, this bill would remove federal legal barriers that currently prevent states from penalizing or regulating railroad companies for blocking road crossings, potentially reducing traffic delays for drivers in communities near rail lines.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

State governments

States gain the legal authority to enact laws or regulations limiting the duration of highway-rail grade crossing blockages.

Directly affected

Railroad carriers

Railroad carriers would become subject to state-level laws and regulations regarding the duration they may block highway-rail grade crossings.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this bill set a specific time limit for how long a train can block a crossing?

No. The bill does not set a specific time limit itself; instead, it gives individual states the legal authority to create their own laws or regulations regarding these time limits.

Who is affected by this change?

State governments gain the authority to regulate, and railroad carriers would be subject to these new state-level requirements regarding crossing blockages.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Decentralization of Rail Regulation

The bill represents a significant shift in federal policy by explicitly carving out an exception to federal preemption for rail crossing blockages.

Surface Transportation Board

Connected Entities

District of Columbia, Mr. Davidson, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and 4 more

locationDistrict of Columbia“Defined as a 'State' for the purposes of this bill.”Map →

PersonMr. Davidson“Introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →

OrganizationHouse Transportation and Infrastructure Committee“The bill was referred to this committee.”Map →

other118th Congress“The Congress in which this bill was introduced.”Map →

bill numberH.R. 9248“The bill's identification number.”Map →

OrganizationSurface Transportation Board“The bill references the Surface Transportation Board.”Map →

otherUnited States Code“The bill amends this code.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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