H.R. 8012

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8012 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8012

To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations 
requiring a rail carrier to report certain damage if such carrier has a 
reasonable suspicion that an action carried out by the carrier caused 
such damage.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 19, 2026

Mr. Lawler introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations 
requiring a rail carrier to report certain damage if such carrier has a 
reasonable suspicion that an action carried out by the carrier caused 
such damage.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Oversee and Ward off 
Infrastructure Emergencies Act'' or the ``HOWIE Act''.

SEC. 2. STANDARD FOR REPORTING CERTAIN DAMAGE RELATING TO RAILROAD 
OPERATIONS.

The Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Administrator 
of the Federal Railroad Administration, shall issue such regulations as 
are necessary to update section 225.9 of title 49, Code of Federal 
Regulations, to require a railroad to report a train accident resulting 
in damage described under such section, including any incident that 
causes a fire (including a brush fire) alongside a railroad track, if 
such railroad has a reasonable suspicion that an action carried out by 
the railroad caused such damage.
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