TRACK Act
Latest action · Apr 29, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 28, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Toxics by Rail Accountability and Community Knowledge Act of 2015 or the TRACK Act
Requires railroad carriers found at fault for an unintended release of hazardous materials (hazmat) due to a railroad accident or incident during calendar year 2010 to:
- review periodically any post-accident public health assessments of hazmat-exposed individuals who could experience long-lasting or irreversible health effects;
- inform those individuals in a timely manner of any health information, including information on long-lasting or irreversible health consequences; and
- offer to renegotiate any legal settlements made to affected individuals in which additional information about potential for such consequences has been later disclosed in a post-accident public health assessment.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations:
- requiring railroad carriers transporting hazmat to give first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel accurate and current commodity flow data and assist with the development of emergency operations and hazmat response plans for railroad accidents or incidents; and
- establishing a procedure for railroad carriers to permit a train to pass a red signal at a moveable bridge.
Requires the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, to develop route safety and security risk assessment tools for short line and regional railroad carriers.
Revises the railroad safety risk reduction program by requiring railroad carriers to develop a comprehensive program to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities (as under current law) through the use of safety management systems and their associated key principles, analysis of operational incidents and accidents, and continuous evaluation and improvement programs.
Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring railroad carriers transporting hazmat to:
- give first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel real-time information regarding hazmat on the train in the event of an incident, accident, or emergency; and
- develop a public education program for communities along railroad hazmat routes.
Prescribes certain civil penalties for any railroad carrier that violates a requirement or regulation under this Act.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 29, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
- Apr 28, 2015Introduced in House
- Apr 28, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1114 | TRACK Act | Identical bill | Apr 28, 2015 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Accidents
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Civil actions and liability
- Department of Transportation
- Emergency communications systems
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- Environmental health
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Government studies and investigations
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Railroads
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation employees
- Transportation safety and security
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 28, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.