HARRISBURG, Pa. — While one wide-ranging bill has advanced out of a Pennsylvania House committee, four other bills aimed at regulating railroads in the state have also been introduced since the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, which also impacted Pennsylvania residents.
The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pa., reports none have yet been voted on by the state House or Senate, and just one has reached the floor of either house without being referred back to committee.
The most wide-ranging bill is HB 1028, which earlier this month passed the Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee by a 19-2 vote [see “Rail regulation bill advances …,” Trains News Wire, May 4, 2023]. That bill includes an 8,500-foot limit on train length, requires two-person crews, and prohibits delay of an emergency vehicle at a blocked grade crossing for more than 5 minutes, among other provisions.
That bill, however, is now listed as tabled, meaning no current action is planned but it could be considered at a later date.
Two of the provisions in that bill are duplicated in separate measures introduced by Rep. Louis Schmitt Jr. (R-Blair, Pa.). HB 1126 would require two-person crews; HB 1127 sets a maximum train length of 8,500 feet. The most recent action on both bills saw them referred to the Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Commission.
And HB 939, introduced by Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny, Pa.) would require the state to hire additional rail safety inspectors (although it does not specify a number) and raise the starting salary for those inspectors to $120,000 per year. That bill also is in the hands of the Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Commission.
In the state Senate, SB 508, introduced by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Chambersburg, Pa.), would establish a Train Derailment Emergency Grant Program for residents affected by the East Palestine derailment. It would be funded through fines and settlements against NS or individuals responsible for the derailment, federal funds, and funds appropriated by the state, among other sources. That bill, passed by the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, is now with the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee.
