H.R. 854 119th Congress House

DERAIL Act

Official title: To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue certain regulations to define high-hazard flammable train, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 31, 2025 Introduced by: Christopher R. Deluzio Democratic · Pennsylvania See on congress.gov

Transportation and Public Works

Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Feb 1, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Jan 31, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Jan 31, 2025

Introduced in House

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What's happening now February 1, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Decreasing Emergency Railroad Accident Instances Locally Act or the DERAIL Act

This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to expand the definition of a high-hazard flammable train (HHFT), thereby subjecting more trains to additional safety requirements.

Specifically, DOT must expand the definition of HHFT to mean a train transporting one or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid (e.g., benzene residue) or a Class 2 flammable gas (e.g., vinyl chloride) and other materials DOT determines necessary for safety. Current regulations define HHFT as a train transporting 20 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid in a continuous block or 35 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid dispersed throughout the train.

The bill also requires railway carriers to report a train derailment that involves a train carrying material toxic by inhalation within 24 hours of the derailment to the National Response Center (NRC), state and local officials, and tribal governments. As background, the NRC is a part of the federally established National Response System. Reports to the NRC activate the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan and the federal government's response capabilities.

Bill text 1 version

Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

Committees of jurisdiction 2

Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee
House of Representatives · subcommittee of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
House of Representatives

Lobbying activity 17

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL & TRANSP. WORKERS, TRANSP. DIV.
for INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL AIR RAIL & TRANSP WORKERS TRANSP DIV · Ohio · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL & TRANSP. WORKERS, TRANSP. DIV.
for INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL AIR RAIL & TRANSP WORKERS TRANSP DIV · Ohio · 2nd Quarter 2026 (Apr 1 - June 30)
CSX CORPORATION
for CSX CORPORATION · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter 2026 (Apr 1 - June 30)
INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL & TRANSP. WORKERS, TRANSP. DIV.
for INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL AIR RAIL & TRANSP WORKERS TRANSP DIV · Ohio · 3rd Quarter 2025 (July 1 - Sep 30)
INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL & TRANSP. WORKERS, TRANSP. DIV.
for INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL AIR RAIL & TRANSP WORKERS TRANSP DIV · Ohio · 3rd Quarter 2025 (July 1 - Sep 30)
INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL & TRANSP. WORKERS, TRANSP. DIV.
for INT'L ASS'N OF SHEET METAL AIR RAIL & TRANSP WORKERS TRANSP DIV · Ohio · 1st Quarter 2026 (Jan 1 - Mar 31)

Bodies those filers lobbied

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
17 filings
SENATE
17 filings
Federal Railroad Administration
8 filings
Surface Transportation Board (STB)
8 filings
White House Office
8 filings
Commerce, Dept of (DOC)
3 filings
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
3 filings

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 17 filings →

Cosponsors 16