# 119-s-3903: Railway Safety Act of 2026 119-s-3903, Railway Safety Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH] (R-OH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3903 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-3903 - Congress: 119 - Title: Railway Safety Act of 2026 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-02-24 - Sponsor: Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH] (R-OH) - Cosponsors: 7 - Policy area: Transportation and Public Works - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **strengthen safety for trains carrying hazardous materials.** This bill would rewrite the rules for high‑hazard trains and hazardous‑materials response by expanding which trains count as high‑hazard, setting new tank car and speed rules, requiring defect detectors and crew minimums, and creating a dedicated emergency response fund and rapid reimbursement program. - Families and communities near rail lines would get faster cleanup help and financial support after major hazardous‑materials incidents. The bill would create an Emergency Response Assistance program with incident thresholds starting at $15,000 in response costs and allow up to $10 million to be released quickly from a new Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund. - Rail workers would see operational and oversight changes aimed at safety. The bill would require a minimum two‑person freight crew on main lines and tighten inspection, training, drug testing, and audit rules for inspectors. - Railroads and regulators would face new engineering and reporting standards. The bill expands the high‑hazard train definition (for example 20 or more flammable‑liquid tank cars), generally limits speeds to 50 mph with 40 mph caps in dense urban areas for large flammable‑liquid trains, mandates real‑time electronic train consist data, phases out older tank cars, and funds defect detector networks and related grants. ## Cosponsors (7) - Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Real-time hazardous train data for responders: benefit, high. If enacted, Class I railroads that carry hazardous materials would be required to create accurate, real-time electronic train consist data showing the hazardous materials, quantities, car locations, origin and destination, emergency info, and a contact. Railroads would give secure access to fusion… - Stronger hazardous response planning and training: benefit, high. If enacted, Class I railroads that run high-hazard trains would have to file hazardous materials emergency response plans in the National Response Team "One Plan" format. Plans must address toxic-by-inhalation risks, list local response teams, equipment, and contacts, and be developed with State an… - Defect detector network and R&D grants: benefit, high. If enacted, the Secretary would make rules requiring Class I railroads to submit defect detector network plans and meet performance standards. Railroads would report detector effectiveness and keep records for at least five years. The bill would also authorize $25,000,000 for FRA R&D grants on defe… - FRA safety culture and job review: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department of Transportation Inspector General would review the Federal Railroad Administration's safety culture and workforce within 1 year. The Secretary would post an agency action plan within 1 year after the IG report. The Office of Personnel Management would also review the Ra… - Fixing blocked crossings and school bus safety: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would fund a National Academy of Sciences study of the 20 most frequently blocked highway-rail crossings and report within two years. Each railroad would also have to run a toll-free line within 180 days to report blocked crossings and give the number to DOT. The bill woul… - New emergency response fund and grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund and an Emergency Response Assistance program. The fund would set aside collected amounts until it reaches $50,000,000 and be replenished when it falls below $20,000,000. The Secretary could make up to $10,000,000 im… - New hazardous materials registration fee: cost, medium. If enacted, the Transportation Secretary would set an annual hazardous materials registration fee by regulation. Small businesses would pay between $250 and $500 per year. Other registrants would pay between $500 and $5,000 per year. Collected fees would go to the new Hazardous Materials Emergency… - Crew rules, inspections, and penalties: mixed, high. If enacted, freight trains run by Class I railroads would generally need two-person crews: a certified conductor and a certified locomotive engineer, with limited exceptions. The Secretary would audit inspection practices and require new periodic freight car and daily locomotive inspections. Employ… - New tank car rules, speeds, and definitions: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would ban most older tank cars from carrying many Class 3 flammable liquids starting December 31, 2027 unless the cars meet DOT-117 (or DOT-117P/DOT-117R) standards. It would define "high-hazard train" by clear car-count thresholds. The Secretary would set a nationwide speed ca… - Reimbursement and liability after hazmat incidents: mixed, medium. If enacted, the party responsible for a significant hazardous materials transportation incident would be liable to repay amounts the Secretary paid from the Fund for that incident. The Secretary must notify the responsible party and the party would have 30 days to challenge the amount as a final ag… ## Related bills - 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 - 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas. - 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona. - 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina. - 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan. - 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California. ## Sources - [119-s-3903 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3903) ## Related - [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816) - [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913) - [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897) - [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801) - [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755) - [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3903 (as of 2026-09-10).