H.R. 3651: Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-09-30 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

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Where it came from: introduced 2015-09-30 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Shuster, Bill [R-PA-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015

Plain summary

Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015 This bill extends deadlines and modifies requirements for railroad carriers and providers of intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation to implement positive train control (PTC) systems. (A PTC system is a communications and signaling system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. Railroads which carry passengers or have high-volume freight traffic with certain hazardous materials are required to implement a PTC system.) Within 60 days of enactment of this bill, each Class I railroad carrier (the largest operators by revenue) and provider of intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation must submit to the Department of Transportation (DOT) a plan for implementing PTC by December 31, 2018, instead of the December 31, 2015, deadline required under current law. DOT may extend the deadline if specified requirements are met. The revised plan must include a detailed schedule and sequence for fully implementing PTC in a manner that complies with specified regulations, and railroads must implement PTC in accordance with the plan. DOT may authorize a railroad carrier or other entity to begin the provisional operation of a PTC system without the required certification if it is necessary to enable the safe implementation of PTC in phases.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Shuster, Bill [R-PA-9] · 156 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sam Graves (R-MO), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rick Larsen (D-WA), André Carson (D-IN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Lois Frankel (D-FL), David Rouzer (R-NC), Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (R-AR), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Roger Williams (R-TX), Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), Michael K. Simpson (R-ID), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (R-TN), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and 96 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr3651.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr3651 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114