Railroad Safety Reform Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-2378
Sponsor: Rep. Oberstar, James L. [D-MN-8]
Introduced: 2003-06-05 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative fees
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Alcoholism
Auditing
Automation
Business records
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Conferences
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Contractors
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal justice information
Data banks
Delegation of powers
Department of Transportation
Disciplining of employees
Discrimination in employment
Dismissal of employees
Driver licenses
Drug abuse
Drug abuse treatment
Drunk driving
Economics and Public Finance
Electronic data interchange
Emergency Management
Emergency communication systems
Employee health benefits
Employee rights
Employee training
Employment tests
Energy
Environmental Protection
Evidence (Law)
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to transportation
Federal employees
Federal preemption
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Fuel storage
Government Operations and Politics
Government ethics
Government lending
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Grievance procedures
Health
Health surveys
Highspeed ground transportation
Hours of labor
Housing and Community Development
Indexing (Economic policy)
Industrial relations
Labor and Employment
Labor unions
Law
Leave of absence
Legislation
Licenses
Maintenance and repair
Medical screening
Medical tests
Motor vehicle safety
Noise
Obstruction of justice
Occupational health and safety
Personnel records
Physical examinations
Prosecution
Punitive damages
Radio
Railroad commuting traffic
Railroad employees
Railroad engineering
Railroad equipment
Railroad finance
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Railroad safety
Railroads
Recruiting of employees
Right-of-way
Science, Technology, Communications
Seniority in employment
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Sleep disorders
State laws
Telephone
Traffic accidents and safety
Traffic signs and signals
Transportation of hazardous substances
User charges
Vandalism
Wage restitution
Whistle blowing
Witnesses

Summary:
action_date: 2003-06-05
text: Railroad Safety Reform Act of 2003 - Amends Federal transportation law to revise: (1) the hours of duty limitations with respect to train employees, signal employees, dispatching service employees, and power directors; and (2) certain sleeping quarters limitations with respect to train employees (including signal employees), and individuals employed to maintain the right of way of a railroad carrier. Requires the carrier to provide, among other things, a separate bedroom for each employee or individual. 
Requires each Class I and Class II railroad carrier to submit to the Secretary of Transportation a fatigue management plan designed to reduce fatigue experienced by railroad employees and the likelihood of accidents and injuries caused by such fatigue.
Sets forth certain limitations on duty hours of transport vehicle drivers.
Revises certain employee protection requirements prohibiting a railroad carrier from discharging or discriminating against an employee. Prohibits the carrier from threatening, intimidating, or disciplining for, or preventing an employee from notifying such carrier of certain railroad accident/injury-related or hazardous condition information.
Makes it unlawful for any person to interfere with a railroad safety investigation, or to influence the testimony of any person or prevent a person from attending such investigation.
Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
Revises grade crossing safety requirements to require each railroad carrier to: (1) establish a toll-free telephone service to report grade crossing problems; (2) notify trains operating near a grade crossing of any problems there; and (3) ensure placement of signs at each grade crossing displaying toll-free telephone information.
Prescribes requirements for: (1) all passenger railroad cars to have emergency windows; (2) installation of passenger railroad signals; and (3) internal and compartmentalized fuel tanks on passenger locomotives.
Sets forth certain railroad safety rulemaking and enforcement provisions.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-06-06
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads.
action_date: 2003-06-05
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2003-06-05
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-06-05
text: Introduced in House