Pennsylvania HB 1191: An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in railroads, providing for prohibition on blocking of crossings, for limitation on length of freight or work trains, for authorization to monitor safety practices and operations by collective bargaining representatives, for safe staffing levels for trains or light engines, for wayside detector systems, for study of transportation of hazardous materials or waste, for reporting system for transportation of hazardous materials or waste and for hazard impact assessment; and imposing penalties.

Bill Text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1340 PRINTER'S NO. 3068
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1191
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, BURGOS, STEELE, DEASY, HILL-EVANS, MADDEN,
GIRAL, McNEILL, PIELLI, FREEMAN, KENYATTA, VENKAT, SANCHEZ,
HADDOCK, MALAGARI, RIVERA, DONAHUE, DAVIDSON, CIRESI, WARREN,
SCHLOSSBERG, SCHMITT, INGLIS, PROKOPIAK, MARKOSEK, GREEN AND
KHAN, APRIL 15, 2025
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MARCH 24, 2026
AN ACT
Amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in railroads, providing for
prohibition on blocking of crossings, for limitation on
length of freight or work trains, for authorization to
monitor safety practices and operations by collective
bargaining representatives, for safe staffing levels for
trains or light engines, for wayside detector systems, for
study of transportation of hazardous materials or waste and,
for reporting system for transportation of hazardous
materials or waste AND FOR HAZARD IMPACT ASSESSMENT; and
imposing penalties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 66 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding sections to read:
§ 2710. Prohibition on blocking of crossings.
A railroad owner or operator may not allow for the blocking
of a railroad/highway grade crossing that results in the delay
of an emergency vehicle from assisting a person or property in
distress for more than five minutes. The commission shall assess
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a civil penalty of $10,000 for each violation of this section.
§ 2711. Limitation on length of freight or work trains.
A railroad operating on a main track or branch line in this
Commonwealth may not run, or permit to be run, a freight or work
train which exceeds 8,500 feet in length on any part of the main
track or branch line.
§ 2712. Authorization to monitor safety practices and
operations by collective bargaining representatives.
The collective bargaining representative for each craft of
railroad employee and the State director or representative for
each craft of railroad employee shall be permitted to monitor
the safety practices and operations of a railroad operating in
this Commonwealth. The collective bargaining representative or
State director or representative may accompany the commission
during an investigation or inspection of a railroad safety
matter. In monitoring the safety practices and operations of a
railroad under this section, the collective bargaining
representative or State director or representative may take
photographs and conduct an investigation on railroad property as
may be necessary for the purpose of ensuring compliance with
Federal or State laws and regulations , as well as take
photographs and conduct an investigation of a safety hazard that
may result in injury or death to a railroad employee. Any
information, data, evidence or photographs collected by the
monitoring of the safety practices and operations of a railroad
under this section may not be disseminated except in furtherance
of an official investigation related to a potential violation of
Federal or State laws and regulations. A railroad may not ass ert
that the collective bargaining representative or State director
or representative is trespassing on railroad property during an
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investigation authorized under this section.
§ 2713. Safe staffing levels for trains or light engines.
(a) Staffing levels.--A train or light engine used in
connection with the movement of freight in this Commonwealth
shall have a crew that consists of at least two individuals. A
superintendent, trainmaster or other employee of a railroad may
not order or otherwise require a train or light engine used in
connection with the movement of freight to be operated unless
the train or light engine has a crew that consists of at least
two individuals.
(b) Construction.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to a Class
II or III railroad as defined by the United States Surface
Transportation Board on the effective date of this subsection
and shall be construed to relate only to safety, including
ensuring that no train or light engine used in connection with
the movement of freight is left without a functional crew member
as a result of a medical emergency.
(c) Penalties.--The commission may assess a civil penalty
against a person who willfully violates subsection (a) in
accordance with the following:
(1) If, within three years of the violation, the
commission has not previously assessed a civil penalty
against the person under this subsection, the commission may
impose a civil penalty of not less than $1,000, but not more
than $5,000.
(2) If, within three years of the violation, the
commission has previously assessed one civil penalty against
the person under this subsection, the commission may