H.R. 6223 · 116th Congress
D-BLOC Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
LipinskiSponsor2 cosponsors · 2 D
2 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill addresses concerns related to blocked crossings. (A blocked crossing is a circumstance in which a train, railroad car, or locomotive engine is stopped or is standing in a manner that obstructs public travel at a crossing).
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 12, 2020
Don't BLock Our Communities Act or the D-BLOC Act
This bill addresses concerns related to blocked crossings. (A blocked crossing is a circumstance in which a train, railroad car, or locomotive engine is stopped or is standing in a manner that obstructs public travel at a crossing).
Specifically, the bill
- requires each railroad carrier to collect data on blocked crossings and directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to incorporate such data into the national highway-rail crossing inventory;
- establishes a 10-minute limit on trains, locomotive, railroad cars, or other railroad equipment blocking crossings, with specified exceptions;
- authorizes DOT to issue civil penalties for each incident where a crossing is blocked by a standing train, locomotive, or rail equipment;
- requires DOT to issue regulations defining what is considered persistently or egregiously blocking a crossing, including taking into consideration the extent to which the blocked crossing poses a public safety hazard;
- does not apply to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) or commuter authorities;
- directs DOT to issue and publish a national strategy on how it plans to address blocked crossings; and
- requires each railroad carrier to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone service for rights-of-way over which it dispatches trains to directly receive calls reporting blocked crossings.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: D-BLOC Act
Also known as: Don’t BLock Our Communities Act
Latest action (Mar 13, 2020): Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 12, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.