Safer Rail Crossing Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill directs the Department of Transportation, acting through the Federal Highway Administration, to issue guidance within one year on project types eligible for the set-aside under 23 U.S.C. 130(e). The guidance focuses on state projects that reduce trespassing fatalities around highway-rail grade crossings and related rail corridors.
Who Benefits and How
State transportation departments benefit from clearer FHWA guidance on which anti-trespassing projects can use existing section 130 set-aside funds. Communities near rail corridors and pedestrians near rail crossings benefit if states use the clarified eligibility to install fencing, channelization, warning systems, outreach, or other safety measures that prevent fatal track access.
Who Bears the Burden and How
FHWA must develop and publish the guidance within one year. State DOTs and local project sponsors must review the guidance, align applications with eligible project types, and administer projects under federal highway safety rules. Railroads may need to coordinate with state projects near their crossings or rights-of-way.
Key Provisions
- Directs DOT and FHWA to issue guidance within one year on eligible highway-rail grade crossing set-aside projects.
- Focuses the guidance on projects that reduce trespassing fatalities near rail crossings and corridors.
- Clarifies how states may use existing 23 U.S.C. 130(e) funds rather than creating a new grant program.
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 FHWA guidance on how states may use highway-rail grade crossing funds for projects that reduce trespassing fatalities.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Public Safety
Primary Purpose
Requires FHWA guidance on how states may use highway-rail grade crossing funds for projects that reduce trespassing fatalities.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- State DOTs
- Pedestrians near rail crossings
- Local governments
- Rail safety programs
Identified Costs
- FHWA
- State DOTs
- Railroads
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Mr. Frost (for himself and Mr. Mast) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
FHWA, Rail safety programs, Railroads
Positive-direction: Rail safety programs
Negative-direction: FHWA
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → DOT Secretary
- "administrator"
- → FHWA Administrator
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