RAILS Act 2017-06-28 Introduced in Senate Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety Act or the RAILS Act

This bill seeks to promote alternative approaches to railroad safety through self-regulation.

Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) shall:

  • before proposing or adopting a rule, consider an approach that specifies performance objectives rather than identifies or requires the specific manner of compliance that a regulated entity must adopt;
  • before issuing a proposed rule, publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking unless the proposed rule is not likely to result in a "significant rule" (i.e., a rule that has an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or meets other specified criteria);
  • before issuing any proposed rule or final rule, conduct a regulatory impact analysis to evaluate the proposed rule or final rule;
  • by June 1, 2019, and at least every five years thereafter, complete a comprehensive review of the regulations, orders, and guidance documents issued; and
  • include, in each significant rule prescribed on or after December 31, 2017, a framework for assessing the rule's effects.

DOT may waive compliance with any part of a regulation prescribed or order issued if the waiver: (1) is in the public interest; (2) requires the recipient to adopt an alternative technology, practice, or system that could achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than that which would be obtained in the absence of the waiver; and (3) includes a DOT-approved evaluation framework.

]]> text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.