# 119-hr-9036: American High-Speed Rail Act

119-hr-9036, American High-Speed Rail Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9036
- As of: 2026-09-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9036
- Congress: 119
- Title: American High-Speed Rail Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 56
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-26

## Summary

**Would expand federal support for high-speed and higher-speed rail** by changing who can get planning and construction funding, how projects are defined, and what labor and land rules apply to speed up projects and attract private money. - States, local sponsors, and public-private consortia would be able to get planning grants covering up to 100% of eligible costs and projects could have up to 100% federal share of net capital costs. A nonfederal share equal to 20% of net capital costs must come from specified sources and any RRIF or TIFIA funds used must be repaid from state, local, or private sources. - The bill would redefine service speeds, labeling 186 mph or more as "high-speed" and more than 110 mph but less than 186 mph as "higher-speed." Corridor planning must weigh equity, resilience, sustainability, climate impacts, and transit-oriented development, and a pilot gets $20.0 million per year for TOD planning. - Freight carriers and private partners would be allowed to sell, lease, or grant easements on rights-of-way and receive related grant support, with special tax treatment for certain gains. Labor and workforce rules are reworked to clarify Railroad Retirement and Railway Labor Act coverage while preserving specified worker protections and defining exceptions for contractors. *Would authorize roughly $205.1 billion in appropriations for FY2027–2031, increasing federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (56)

- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] (D-PA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] (D-CT), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (D-NY), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52] (D-CA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4] (D-MA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3] (D-KY), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (D-MA), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Big federal funding for high-speed rail: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would provide large annual funding for high-speed rail from fiscal years 2027 through 2031. It would authorize $3 billion per year for corridor planning and $3 billion per year for technology. It would authorize $35 billion per year for corridor development and $20 million per…
- Rail right-of-way sales tax breaks: benefit, medium. If enacted, a rail carrier could sell, lease, or grant easements on right-of-way land to certain grant recipients and receive matching grants up to the amount it received. The bill would exclude gains from those sales, lease payments, the grant amounts, and capital improvements from gross income fo…
- Performance-based safety rules for rail: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require performance-based safety regulations for all high-speed rail projects. The safety rules would have to protect interoperability so different systems can work together. This change would focus regulators on performance outcomes to improve public safety on new rail s…
- Use prior transportation funds for premiums: benefit, low. If enacted, certain past Department of Transportation appropriations could be used to pay credit risk premiums for specified loan programs. The bill names past appropriation headings from 2016 and 2018 and any later appropriation acts as allowable sources to cover those premiums. This would let age…
- Rail worker status and exceptions: mixed, medium. If enacted, people who run trains or do covered rail work on federally funded lines would be treated as rail carriers and employers under major railroad laws. That would make affected workers subject to Railroad Retirement, Railway Labor, and Railroad Unemployment Insurance rules. The bill would no…
- New speed categories for rail: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would define 'high-speed' rail as services that operate at 186 miles per hour or faster. It would create a new 'higher-speed rail' category for services that run more than 110 mph but less than 186 mph. The bill would exclude urban rapid transit systems not connected to the gen…
- Project permits and land purchase rules: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary of State would be expected to give required Presidential permits for projects at U.S. international boundaries unless national security blocks the permit. The Secretary of Transportation could not set mandatory spending timelines for projects funded under the corridor deve…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2763: American Family Act
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9036 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9036)

## Related
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-2763: American Family Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2763)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9036 (as of 2026-09-26).