I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9604 
To provide for certain requirements of the Surface Transportation Board 
and any State, political subdivision, or qualified private organization 
requesting interim recreational use of an abandoned railway right-of- 
way, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for certain requirements of the Surface Transpor-
tation Board and any State, political subdivision, or 
qualified private organization requesting interim rec-
reational use of an abandoned railway right-of-way, and 
for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Rails to Trails Land-
owner Rights Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. INTERIM USE OF RAILROAD RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 
Section 8 of the National Trails System Act (16 
U.S.C. 1247(d)) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary of Trans-
portation’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) The Secretary of 
Transportation’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) To be eligible for the treatment described in this 
subsection, a State, political subdivision, or qualified pri-
vate organization shall— 
‘‘(A) provide notice to— 
‘‘(i) the owners of any property upon which 
the railroad right-of-way crosses, or is adjacent 
to the land subject to the right-of-way; and 
‘‘(ii) any unit of local government with ju-
risdiction over any property upon which the 
railroad right-of-way crosses; 
‘‘(B) not later than 30 days after intervening in 
an abandonment proceeding under this subsection, 
receive signed approval from each owner described in 
subparagraph (A)(i) for the proposed interim use; 
‘‘(C) disclose the legal status of the occupancy 
for the right-of-way; 
‘‘(D) with respect to any proposed agreement 
under this subsection— 
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‘‘(B) not later than 10 days after the comple-
tion of the requirements under subparagraph (A), 
carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the full impact 
of the interim use of the railway that considers— 
‘‘(i) the impact on— 
‘‘(I) safety; 
‘‘(II) health; 
‘‘(III) security; 
‘‘(IV) privacy; 
‘‘(V) biosecurity; 
‘‘(VI) food security; and 
‘‘(VII) economic impact on owners de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(A)(i) and other 
local communities; and 
‘‘(ii) the likelihood that the corridor will re-
turn to use as rail service if such a consider-
ation was not taken into account in such anal-
ysis. 
‘‘(4) Any cost incurred carrying out the requirements 
of paragraph (3)(B) shall be borne by the State, political 
subdivision, or qualified private organization proposing the 
interim railway use and the Board shall not incur any such 
expenses until funding for carrying out such activities is 
received from the trail sponsor.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec-
tion, the Board may contract with an independent third 
party to conduct a cost-benefit analysis required to be car-
ried out under subsection (d)(3)(B).’’. 
SEC. 3. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior 
shall establish an advisory committee to recommend main-
tenance requirements for trail sponsors under the program 
described in section 8(d) of the National Trails System 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1247(d)) and any agreement reached 
under such program. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory committee estab-
lished under subsection (a) shall be composed of 11 mem-
bers appointed by the Secretary not later than 60 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act. The members of 
the committee shall be as follows: 
(1) 6 members selected from landowners along 
existing trails created under such program. 
(2) 3 members representing rail carriers. 
(3) 2 members that are trail sponsors under 
such program. 
(c) COMPENSATION; TRAVEL EXPENSES.— 
(1) COMPENSATION.—Members of the com-
mittee established under subsection (a) shall not re-
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ceive compensation from the Secretary in carrying 
out the duties of the committee under this section. 
(2) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—Travel expenses in-
curred by a member of the committee in carrying 
out the duties of the committee under this section 
shall not be eligible for Federal reimbursement. 
(d) REPORT TO SECRETARY.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the committee es-
tablished under subsection (a) shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Representa-
tives a report containing the recommendations described 
under subsection (a). 
Æ 
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