I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6519 
To amend title 49, United States Code, with respect to hours of service 
rules for railroad employees. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 14, 2010 
Mr. OBERSTAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, with respect to 
hours of service rules for railroad employees. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Railroad Hours of 
Service Act of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. REDESIGNATIONS. 
Chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by redesignating sections 21101 through 21109 
as sections 21102 through 21110, respectively. 
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SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
Chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is fur-
ther amended by inserting before section 21102 (as so re-
designated by section 2 of this Act) the following: 
‘‘§ 21101. Purpose 
‘‘Railroad employees covered by this chapter shall be 
provided predictable and defined work and rest periods.’’. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 21102 (as so redesignated by section 2 of this 
Act) of chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘and 
yardmaster employee’’ before the period; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) ‘yardmaster employee’ means an employee 
who supervises and coordinates the activities of 
workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, in-
cluding making up or breaking up trains and switch-
ing inbound or outbound traffic.’’. 
SEC. 5. NONAPPLICATION, EXEMPTION, AND ALTERNATE 
HOURS OF SERVICE REGIME. 
Section 21103(c) (as so redesignated by section 2 of 
this Act) of chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code 
is amended— 
(1) 
in 
paragraph 
(1)(A), 
by 
striking 
‘‘21109(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘21110(b)’’; 
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(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘21109(b)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘21110(b)’’; 
(3) by striking subparagraph (C) of paragraph 
(4); 
(4) by redesignating subparagraph (D) of para-
graph (4) as subparagraph (B); and 
(5) by striking ‘‘new section 21103’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘section 21104’’. 
SEC. 6. LIMITATIONS ON DUTY HOURS OF TRAIN EMPLOY-
EES. 
Section 21104 (as so redesignated by section 2 of this 
Act) of chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘remain or go on duty 
unless’’ and inserting ‘‘initiate an on duty 
period unless’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘during the prior 24 
hours; or’’ and inserting ‘‘immediately 
prior to going on duty; or’’; 
(B) in paragraph (4)(A)— 
(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘work’’ 
and inserting ‘‘initiate an on duty period’’; 
and 
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(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘works’’ 
and inserting ‘‘initiates an on duty period 
on’’; and 
(C) in the matter after paragraph (4) by 
inserting ‘‘For purposes of paragraph (4)(A) 
and (B), within 12 months after the date of en-
actment of the Railroad Hours of Service Act 
of 2010, the Secretary shall prescribe regula-
tions to require all deadhead transportation in 
excess of a specific number of hours to be 
counted as time on duty and shall reset the cal-
endar day clock.’’ before ‘‘The Secretary may 
waive’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(7), by striking ‘‘when the 
employee is prevented’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘employee left the designated terminal.’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘. A train employee shall be notified before 
going off duty whether such period off duty is an in-
terim release.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking 
‘‘21109.’’ and inserting ‘‘21110; and’’; and 
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(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) to exceed 2 hours in deadhead trans-
portation per each tour of duty.’’. 
SEC. 7. LIMITATIONS ON DUTY HOURS OF SIGNAL EMPLOY-
EES. 
Section 21105 (as so redesignated by section 2 of this 
Act) of chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ‘‘, includ-
ing all work where there is a potential to interact or 
otherwise come into contact with safety-critical de-
vices or circuits,’’ before ‘‘is time on duty’’; 
(2) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘Signal employees operating motor vehi-
cles requiring a commercial driver’s license while on 
duty shall be considered covered service.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(f) SAFETY-CRITICAL DEVICES
OR CIRCUITS.— 
Time on duty shall include all work where there is a poten-
tial to interact or otherwise come into contact with safety- 
critical devices or circuits.’’. 
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SEC. 8. LIMITATIONS ON DUTY HOURS OF DISPATCHING 
SERVICE EMPLOYEES AND YARDMASTER EM-
PLOYEES. 
Section 21106 (as so redesignated by section 2 of this 
Act) of chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in the section heading by inserting ‘‘and 
yardmaster employees’’ after ‘‘service em-
ployees’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘21103 or 21104’’ and in-
serting ‘‘21104 or 21105’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘or yardmaster employee’’ 
after ‘‘service employee’’; 
(3) in subsection 
(b), 
by 
inserting 
‘‘or 
yardmaster employee’’ after ‘‘a dispatching service 
employee’’; 
(4) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘All 
commingle 
service 
involving 
yardmaster service and dispatcher service mixing 
with freight service shall be covered under the provi-
sions of section 21104.’’; and 
(5) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘or 
yardmaster employee’’ after ‘‘dispatching service em-
ployee’’. 
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SEC. 9. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 
Chapter 211 of title 49, United States Code, is fur-
ther amended by amending the table of sections at the 
beginning of the chapter to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘21101. Purpose. 
‘‘21102. Definitions. 
‘‘21103. Nonapplication, exemption, and alternate hours of service regime. 
‘‘21104. Limitations on duty hours of train employees. 
‘‘21105. Limitations on duty hours of signal employees. 
‘‘21106. Limitations on duty hours of dispatching service employees and 
yardmaster employees. 
‘‘21107. Limitations on employee sleeping quarters. 
‘‘21108. Maximum duty hours and subjects of collective bargaining. 
‘‘21109. Pilot projects. 
‘‘21110. Regulatory authority.’’. 
Æ 
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