Baby Changing on Board Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Baby Changing on Board Act adds a new section 24314 to title 49 requiring covered Amtrak passenger rail trains to include baby changing tables. Covered trains are passenger rail trains owned and operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak, and solicited for purchase after enactment for Amtrak use; trains Amtrak operates but does not own are excluded. Each covered train must have a baby changing table in at least one restroom in each car, including an ADA-compliant restroom. The bill defines a baby changing table as a freestanding or drop-down surface designed to support a child up to 30 pounds for diaper changing, incorporates ADA-compliant restroom requirements from the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requires signage showing the presence and location of the tables.
Who Benefits and How
Parents traveling with infants, caregivers traveling with infants, Amtrak passengers with disabilities who use ADA-compliant restrooms, families taking intercity rail trips, baby changing table manufacturers, passenger railcar designers, restroom-fixture suppliers, and accessibility advocates benefit because newly purchased Amtrak-owned cars must provide diaper-changing surfaces and clear signage instead of leaving families to improvise in inaccessible or unsanitary spaces.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Amtrak procurement officials, National Railroad Passenger Corporation fleet planners, passenger railcar manufacturers, ADA restroom designers, onboard signage vendors, restroom maintenance crews, and federal rail administrators bear burdens because future Amtrak-owned cars must be specified, designed, built, marked, inspected, and maintained with changing tables in each car's restroom layout, including at least one ADA-compliant restroom.
Key Provisions
- Adds a new title 49 section requiring baby changing tables on covered Amtrak passenger rail trains.
- Defines covered trains as Amtrak-owned and Amtrak-operated passenger trains solicited for purchase after enactment.
- Requires at least one restroom in each car, including an ADA-compliant restroom, to contain a baby changing table.
- Defines baby changing tables as surfaces supporting children up to 30 pounds for diaper changing.
- Requires restroom signage and changing-table signage to clearly identify the installed tables.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires newly solicited Amtrak-owned passenger rail trains to include baby changing tables in at least one restroom in each car, including an ADA-compliant restroom, and to post clear signage identifying those changing tables.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Disability Access, Family Services
Primary Purpose
Requires newly solicited Amtrak-owned passenger rail trains to include baby changing tables in at least one restroom in each car, including an ADA-compliant restroom, and to post clear signage identifying those changing tables.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Parents traveling with infants
- Caregivers traveling with infants
- Amtrak passengers with disabilities
- Families taking intercity rail trips
- Baby changing table manufacturers
- Passenger railcar designers
- Restroom-fixture suppliers
- Accessibility advocates
Identified Costs
- Amtrak procurement officials
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation fleet planners
- Passenger railcar manufacturers
- ADA restroom designers
- Onboard signage vendors
- Restroom maintenance crews
- Federal rail administrators
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2551-2552)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Mr. Ezell moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 115.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Amtrak passengers with disabilities, Caregivers traveling with infants, Parents traveling with infants
Amtrak procurement officials, National Railroad Passenger Corporation fleet planners, Restroom maintenance crews
Baby changing table manufacturers, Passenger railcar manufacturers
Positive-direction: Baby changing table manufacturers
Negative-direction: Passenger railcar manufacturers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "amtrak"
- → National Railroad Passenger Corporation
- "covered_train"
- → Amtrak-owned and operated train solicited for purchase after enactment
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology