H.R. 1633 · 118th Congress

RAIL Act

Introduced on Mar 17, 2023 by Bill Johnson (R-OH-6). 15 cosponsors, 8 of them from another party. Latest action (Jan 29, 2024): ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mrs. Sykes asked unanimous consent that she may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1633, a bill originally introduced by Representative Johnson (OH), for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

Stage
Introduced
Introduced
Mar 17, 2023
Cosponsors
15
8 from the other party
Policy area
Transportation and Public Works
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Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. 2Reported by committee
  3. 3Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Administrative law and regulatory procedures
  • Civil actions and liability
  • Department of Transportation
  • Employment and training programs
  • Government information and archives
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
  • Labor-management relations
  • Licensing and registrations
  • Railroads
  • Transportation safety and security
  • User charges and fees

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Mar 17, 2023). Public domain.

Reducing Accidents In Locomotives Act or the RAIL Act

This bill addresses safety requirements for rail carriers and trains transporting hazardous materials.

Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials to require that rail carriers (1) provide state emergency response commissioners with advance notice and information about the hazardous materials; (2) reduce blocked rail crossings; and (3) comply with certain requirements regarding train length and weight specifications, track standards, speed restrictions, and response plans.

DOT must also establish requirements for wayside defect detectors. These are used by railway systems alongside the tracks to detect defects and failures (e.g., wheel bearing failures). Current federal regulations do not require their use, but federal guidance does address their placement and use. Under the bill, DOT must issue regulations establishing requirements for the installation, repair, testing, maintenance, and operation of wayside defect detectors for each rail carrier operating a train carrying hazardous materials. Further, these regulations must establish requirements that safety placards be able to withstand heat in excess of 180 degrees.

The bill also

  • increases the maximum fines DOT may impose on rail carriers for violating safety regulations,
  • requires DOT to update rail car inspection regulations and audit the federal inspection program,
  • phases out certain railroad tank cars by May 1, 2028 (one year sooner than required under current law),
  • expands training for local first responders, and
  • imposes a new fee on certain rail carriers.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Bill JohnsonR-OH-6Sponsor

Democrats · 8

Republicans · 7

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

No recorded roll call on this measure: it moved by voice vote or unanimous consent, or has not reached the floor.

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Mar 17, 2023Introduced in House
  2. Mar 17, 2023Introduced in House
  3. Mar 17, 2023 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
  4. Mar 20, 2023 · HouseReferred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
  5. Jan 29, 2024 · HouseASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mrs. Sykes asked unanimous consent that she may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1633, a bill originally introduced by Representative Johnson (OH), for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION14 reports
    $2.3M reported (all issues)
  2. AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL10 reports
    $28.4M reported (all issues)
  3. CSX CORPORATION10 reports
    $1.9M reported (all issues)
  4. BNSF RAILWAY COMPANY5 reports
    $3.4M reported (all issues)Federal contractor: BNSF RAILWAY COMPANY$439.8K in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  5. Bath & Body Works, Inc.5 reports
    $250K reported (all issues)
  6. CELANESE CORPORATION5 reports
    $1.8M reported (all issues)
  7. Commuter Rail Coalition5 reports
    $100K reported (all issues)
  8. Int'l Ass'n of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transp. Workers, Transp. Div.5 reports
    $1.9M reported (all issues)
  9. MARATHON PETROLEUM CORPORATION5 reports
    $3.1M reported (all issues)Federal contractor: MARATHON PETROLEUM COMPANY LP$525.1M in contracts, FY2026AI match · 99%
  10. TRINITY INDUSTRIES INC.5 reports
    $390K reported (all issues)
  11. The Dow Chemical Company, dba Dow5 reports
    $6.5M reported (all issues)Federal contractor: DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY, THEAI match · 100%
  12. UNION PACIFIC CORP.5 reports
    $3.8M reported (all issues)
  13. South Florida Regional Transportation Authority4 reports
    $160K reported (all issues)
  14. ARKEMA INC3 reports
    $570K reported (all issues)
  15. Fiber Optic Sensing Association3 reports
  16. ARKEMA INC. AND ITS AFFILIATES (fka ARKEMA INC.)2 reports
    $320K reported (all issues)
  17. ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS2 reports
    $2.4M reported (all issues)
  18. S. FL Reg.1 report
    $40K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2023, 2024.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 9, 2026 · loaded Oct 9, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 9, 2026 · loaded Oct 9, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.