# 119-hr-2515: American Tank Car Modernization Act of 2025

119-hr-2515, American Tank Car Modernization Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX); status in_committee (as of 2026-05-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2515
- As of: 2026-05-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2515
- Congress: 119
- Title: American Tank Car Modernization Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-31
- Sponsor: Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-19

## Summary

**Modernize freight railcar safety and data visibility.** This bill would create two Federal Railroad Administration programs to fund onboard telematics, gateway devices, and sensor development for freight railcars to improve real-time location, asset health, and maintenance monitoring. - Freight railcar owners and operators: Would be eligible for grants to buy and install onboard telematics and gateway devices that enable near real-time location, railcar asset health, commodity safety monitoring, and automated maintenance alerts. - Manufacturers and new builds: Grant selection would prioritize newly built freight railcars from qualified manufacturers and cars entering certification or maintenance events, with top priority for tank cars in TIH/PIH and Class I, II, and III flammable service. - Regulators, fleet managers, and the public: The bill would require a report to the Secretary of Transportation within 3 years on the number equipped, costs, and safety incidents and a separate 1-year report on pilot sensor effectiveness to inform industry acceptance and future policy. *Would authorize up to $100 million per year for grants and $10 million per year for the pilot for fiscal years 2026 through 2029, totaling up to $440 million in new federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2025-03-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants for railcar telematics upgrades: benefit, high. Freight railcar owners or operators could get FRA grants to buy and install onboard telematics and gateway devices. Funds could improve near real-time location, asset health, and safety data, and support sensors for wheel heat, brake and hatch status, impacts, and internal temperature. The FRA woul…
- Pilot grants for railcar sensors: benefit, low. Railcar owners could get FRA pilot grants to develop onboard sensors that feed gateway devices. Sensors would aim to show wheel and bearing heat, hand brake and hatch status, and inside temperature in near real time. To receive funds, the railcar and any sensitive tech would need to meet 49 U.S.C.…
- Priority favors non-state railcar makers: mixed, low. Grant priority would favor work done by manufacturers and facilities not owned or controlled by state-owned enterprises from certain countries. Entities tied to those governments would not count as qualified for priority. The bill defines these countries of concern using existing Commerce and USTR…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1227: Alternatives to PAIN Act
- 119-hr-3277: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
- 119-hr-2192: Air America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2515 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2515)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1227: Alternatives to PAIN Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1227)
- [119-hr-3277: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3277)
- [119-hr-2192: Air America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2192)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2515 (as of 2026-05-19).