D-BLOC Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The D-BLOC Act adds a new section 20172 to title 49 that generally bars railroad carriers from causing public highway-rail grade crossings to be blocked for more than 10 minutes, subject to safety and operational exceptions for accidents, track obstructions, rail-yard movements, Acts of God, derailments, and equipment failures. If a crossing has at least three portal-reported blocked incidents on three calendar days in a 30-day period, DOT must notify the railroad, investigate causes, and review ways to reduce frequency and duration. After notice and a 60-day consultation period, railroads may face civil penalties up to $100,000 per violation, or up to $500,000 near hospitals or emergency facilities. The bill also makes the FRA portal permanent, requires Class I railroads to link to it, and requires railroad points of contact to verify reports within 14 days.
Who Benefits and How
Communities near grade crossings benefit from a federal time standard, public reporting portal, and enforcement path for repeated blockages. Emergency responders and hospitals benefit from stronger penalties near emergency facilities. Local governments and commuters benefit from a federal record of crossing delays that can support coordination with railroads and FRA.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Railroad carriers must avoid 10-minute blockages outside listed exceptions, respond to FRA notices, maintain records after repeat incidents, verify public reports within 14 days, and face civil penalties. Class I railroads must add portal links to their websites. Federal Railroad Administration staff must maintain the portal, investigate repeat incidents, consult with carriers, and administer enforcement.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a 10-minute federal limit for blocked public highway-rail grade crossings.
- Requires DOT investigation after three reported violations at a crossing on three days in a 30-day period.
- Authorizes civil penalties up to $100,000 per violation and up to $500,000 near hospitals or emergency facilities.
- Makes the Federal Railroad Administration blocked crossing portal permanent.
- Requires Class I railroad website links and 14-day verification of blocked-crossing reports.
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
Creates a federal 10-minute limit on blocked public highway-rail grade crossings, makes the FRA blocked crossing portal permanent, and adds railroad reporting, verification, investigation, and civil-penalty rules for repeated blocked crossings.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Public Safety, Rail Safety
Primary Purpose
Creates a federal 10-minute limit on blocked public highway-rail grade crossings, makes the FRA blocked crossing portal permanent, and adds railroad reporting, verification, investigation, and civil-penalty rules for repeated blocked crossings.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Communities near grade crossings
- Emergency responders
- Hospitals
- Local governments
- Commuters
Identified Costs
- Railroad carriers
- Class I railroad carriers
- Federal Railroad Administration staff
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Ms. Garcia of Texas (for herself, Mr. Mrvan, Ms. Norton, …
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Communities near grade crossings, Federal Railroad Administration portal users
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
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