Railroad Safety and Accountability Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill adds a new 49 U.S.C. 20122 requiring the Federal Railroad Administration to maintain the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee. The committee becomes a permanent forum for collaborative rulemaking, review of existing railroad safety regulations, identification of non-regulatory alternatives, and development of consensus recommendations. Membership must include freight rail carriers, passenger rail interests, Amtrak, local-government organizations, railroad labor organizations across operating, maintenance, shop, mechanical, clerk, and dispatcher crafts, safety-related employees, suppliers, and manufacturers. FRA must meet with the committee quarterly, the committee may form task-based working groups, and the committee must submit an annual report to Congress.
Who Benefits and How
FRA benefits from a codified advisory process for developing safety regulations. Freight rail carriers, Amtrak, rail labor organizations, suppliers, manufacturers, local governments, and passenger-rail groups benefit because the statute guarantees them a structured forum to shape safety priorities and technical standards before rules are finalized.
Who Bears the Burden and How
FRA bears recurring administrative duties to maintain the committee, request or manage task working groups, and meet quarterly. Committee members bear participation and consensus-building costs, and Congress receives annual reports that may surface unresolved railroad-safety disputes or regulatory needs.
Key Provisions
- Creates 49 U.S.C. 20122 to require FRA to maintain the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee.
- Directs the committee to support collaborative railroad-safety rulemaking, review existing regulations, and identify cost-effective safety solutions.
- Requires membership from freight rail carriers, Amtrak, local governments, passenger groups, railroad labor organizations, safety employees, suppliers, and manufacturers.
- Requires FRA quarterly engagement and an annual committee report to Congress while exempting the committee from FACA termination.
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
Codifies the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee as a standing advisory body for collaborative railroad-safety rulemaking and regulatory recommendations.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Labor, Government
Primary Purpose
Codifies the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee as a standing advisory body for collaborative railroad-safety rulemaking and regulatory recommendations.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- FRA
- Freight rail carriers
- Amtrak
- Railroad labor organizations
- Rail suppliers
- Rail passengers
Identified Costs
- FRA
- Railroad Safety Advisory Committee members
- Congress
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeSponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1987)
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Mrs. Sykes introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Amtrak, FRA, Freight rail carriers
Positive-direction: Amtrak, Freight rail carriers, Rail passengers
Negative-direction: FRA, Railroad Safety Advisory Committee
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "Administrator"
- → Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
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