# 119-hr-8468: Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026

119-hr-8468, Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8468
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8468
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Would require U.S.-based, legally authorized train crews for freight crossing the southern border.** This bill would also require trains entering the United States from Mexico to stop at the southern border for a crew interchange and any federally required safety testing. - Train crews: Crew members who operate trains into the United States after the border stop would need to be U.S. nationals or aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States, have a primary reporting point in the United States, and perform no duties while physically outside the United States. - Railroad carriers: Carriers operating freight across the southern border would have to pause trains at the border to swap crews and complete federal safety checks before continuing into the United States. - Federal regulators: The Secretary of Transportation would be charged with writing and enforcing the new border-crossing and crew rules under Title 49.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX), 2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hunt, Wesley [R-TX-38] (R-TX), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New rules for cross-border train crews: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require railroad carriers to stop freight trains arriving from Mexico at the southern border to swap crews and run federally required safety tests. After that stop, only people who are U.S. nationals or who live in the United States and are lawfully authorized to work in…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5401: Pay Our Troops Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-8468 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8468)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-5401: Pay Our Troops Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8468 (as of 2026-09-21).