American High-Speed Rail Act
Sponsored By: Representative Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
Introduced
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.
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- 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.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Big federal funding for high-speed rail
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 year for a transit-oriented development planning pilot. Grants could cover up to 100% of planning costs and up to 100% of net capital costs, but not more than 20% of some funds could be used for higher-speed rail and projects must meet matching-priority rules.
Rail right-of-way sales tax breaks
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 for tax purposes. The bill would also make the described property subject to the specified statutory treatment in section 28103.
Rail worker status and exceptions
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 not treat a company that mainly does building and construction work as a rail carrier just because it builds, except for certain maintenance and repair work usually done by railroad crafts. Contractors doing work under a collective bargaining agreement could be treated as non-rail-carrier employers.
Performance-based safety rules for rail
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 systems.
Use prior transportation funds for premiums
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 agencies use those specific prior funds to cover loan program costs.
New speed categories for rail
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 general rail system from the higher-speed definition.
Project permits and land purchase rules
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 development program. The bill would let a grant recipient purchase right-of-way or adjacent land before or during environmental reviews only if the agency verifies authority, transportation purpose, no significant environmental harm, and protection of displaced-person benefits; federal funding for such acquisitions would wait until NEPA, section 4(f), and section 106 reviews are finished. Acquired land could not be developed in anticipation of the project until those reviews are complete.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]
TX • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]
OR • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]
NC • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
VA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]
VA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
MO • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
TX • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
TN • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large]
DE • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4]
MA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3]
KY • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Mejia
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3]
MA • D
Sponsored 5/26/2026
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2026
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2026
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2026
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov