# 119-hr-188: Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act

119-hr-188, Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX); status in_committee (as of 2026-06-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-188
- As of: 2026-06-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-188
- Congress: 119
- Title: Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-12

## Summary

**Brings Amtrak under federal open meetings and public disclosure rules.** This bill would apply the title 5 open meetings and public disclosure provisions to Amtrak while carving out clearly defined sensitive topics such as contract negotiations, collective bargaining, personnel matters, and confidential commercial information. - Passengers and taxpayers: Meetings would generally be more transparent, but Amtrak can withhold details that could harm safety or its competitive position. - Workers and unions: Collective bargaining negotiations and many employment decisions could be kept private unless affected employees ask for public discussion in writing. - Contractors and bidders: Contract talks, procurement details, and confidential commercial information can be exempted from public disclosure to protect competitive interests. - Amtrak leadership: Board and governance meetings would follow the federal open meetings framework while retaining the ability to honor contracts, comply with law, and protect safety.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6] (R-MO), 2025-01-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More open meetings at Amtrak: benefit, medium. If enacted, Amtrak would follow federal public records and open‑meeting rules. You could request more Amtrak records and watch more meetings. Amtrak could close parts about contract talks, union bargaining, some hiring or discipline issues, or confidential business info. Standard federal open‑meeti…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-9497: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7613: ALERT Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-188 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/188)

## Related
- [119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4275)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-9497: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9497)
- [119-hr-7613: ALERT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7613)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-188 (as of 2026-06-12).