House T&I Committee Approves 29 Measures in Wide-Ranging Markup

The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee on Sept. 18 considered and approved 29 pieces of legislation, three of which covered Amtrak transparency, accountability, and accessibility.

“Today [Sept. 18], the Committee passed legislation that touches on just about every facet of our jurisdiction, including bills to ensure federal agencies have the tools to detect and respond to threats posed by unlawful drone usage, improve accountability and transparency at Amtrak, make federal disaster preparedness and recovery programs work better for communities and disaster victims, strengthen federal building security, improve motor carrier safety, protect Good Samaritans working to clean up abandoned mine sites, and much more,” T&I Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said.

Following the markup, the Committee sent the bills to the full House for consideration. Included among them were a number of bipartisan bills, noted T&I Committee Senior Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington, including one that he said would “create a more accessible experience for passengers and caregivers” traveling with young children on Amtrak-owned intercity passenger trains.

The three Amtrak-related bills are:

1. Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (ANS) to H.R. 8689, the Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.), this bill “brings transparency to Amtrak by directing the federally funded rail service to publicly disclose salary bonuses given to Amtrak executives annually,” according to the Committee (download text below). The executives include the CEO, President and officers of Amtrak.

2. ANS to H.R. 8692, the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act. Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.) introduced this bill in the House to increase “transparency and accountability at Amtrak by applying the Government in the Sunshine Act’s federal open meetings requirements to meetings of Amtrak’s Board of Directors,” the Committee reported (download text below).

3. H.R. 8995, the Baby Changing on Board Act. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) introduced this bill in the House to require Amtrak to install baby changing tables in all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible bathrooms on Amtrak-owned railcars (download text below).

The other bills that also move to the full House are:

• H.R. 3149, To designate United States Route 20 in the States of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” Introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa).
• ANS to H.R. 3988, the Assuring that Robust, Thorough, and Informed Congressional Leadership is Exercised Over National Emergencies (ARTICLE ONE) Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), this bipartisan bill “amends the National Emergencies Act to strengthen procedures for Congressional review of presidential declarations of national emergencies, limiting the risk of presidential abuse of emergency powers and reasserting Congress’ power and role in emergency declarations,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 2672, the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), this bipartisan bill “will help communities rebuild faster and reduce local financial burdens by clarifying that the interest incurred on loans taken out by local governments and electric cooperatives for eligible projects is reimbursable,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 6997, the Disaster Contract Improvement Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), this bipartisan bill “reduces waste, fraud, and abuse within disaster contracting by directing FEMA to establish an advisory working group to examine the debris removal program,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 8530, the Improving Federal Building Security Act of 2024. Introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.), this bipartisan bill “improves the security of federal buildings by ensuring federal agencies take into consideration recommendations made by the Federal Protective Service (FPS) on actions needed to better secure their buildings and facilities,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 6984, To designate the Federal building located at 300 E. 3rd Street in North Platte, Nebraska, as the “Virginia Smith Federal Building.” Introduced in the House by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.).
• H.R. 9591, To require the Administrator of General Services to sell certain property related to United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth. Introduced in the House by T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo),  this bill “requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to sell unused property located in Missouri currently under the administration of the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP), reducing the federal footprint and relieving the taxpayer of the costs associated with the vacant property,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 9135, the Ensuring Airline Resiliency to Reduce Delays and Cancellations Act. Introduced in the House by T&I Senior Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington, this bill “directs the Secretary of Transportation to require air carriers to develop an operational resiliency plan to prevent or limit the impact of future flight disruptions on passengers,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 9541, the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act of 2024. Introduced in the House by Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), this bipartisan bill “helps ensure that electric utilities are able to provide communities with essential assistance—as classified under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act)—after a major disaster,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 3356, the Motor Carrier Safety Screening Modernization Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), this bipartisan bill “expands access to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) voluntary safety data screening program for both prospective and current employees, while also establishing a process for drivers to challenge data on their driving records,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 8505, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), this bipartisan bill “combats freight fraud in the supply chain by clarifying the authority of the FMCSA related to penalties for violations of laws and regulations, particularly as applied to the shipping of household goods,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 7779, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024. Introduced in the House by Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), this bipartisan bill “directs the EPA to establish a pilot program for Good Samaritans to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites without being subject to enforcement or liability under the Clean Water Act or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 1720, the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II., Introduced in the House by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), this bipartisan bill “provides needed Clean Water Act permitting flexibility for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego, California, and promotes increased water recycling and conservation efforts in the region,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 8728, the State-Managed Disaster Relief Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), this bipartisan bill “amends the Stafford Act and increases FEMA’s efficiency in processing relief for small disasters by allowing a state or other eligible entity seeking assistance for a small disaster or emergency to opt to receive a single lump payment under simplified protocols, in lieu of utilizing the Public Assistance Program,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 9121, the Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kans.), this bipartisan bill “provides tribal goverments with the resources necessary to mitigate, manage, and control fires through FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant Program,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 5623, the Addressing Addiction After Disasters Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), this bipartisan bill “ensures individuals that have experienced a natural disaster have access to substance use and alcohol use disorder services under existing FEMA grants that provide professional counseling services,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 6083, the Duplication of Benefits Victims Relief Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La), this bipartisan bill “extends the sunset of a provision of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) clarifying that a loan is not duplicative of a grant for the purposes of determining duplication of benefits, ensuring that disaster victims who take out a federal loan after a disaster will not be penalized if grant assistance later becomes available,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 9313, the Think Differently About Building Accessibility Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.), this bipartisan bill “takes a significant step toward ensuring federal buildings are fully accessible for invidiuals with disabilities by requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the compliance with the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of buildings owned and leased by the General Services Administration (GSA),” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 9024, the Extreme Weather and Heat Response Modernization Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), this bill “authorizes FEMA to address extreme heat and cold events under Sections 203 and 404 of the Stafford Act,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 8610, the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), in addition to T&I Chairman Sam Graves, T&I Senior Democrat Rick Larsen, and leaders of other House committees, this bipartisan bill “reauthorizes, reforms, and reasonably expands the existing counter-unmanned aircraft system (counter-UAS) authorities of the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 6435, the Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now Act (MALDEN Act). Introduced in the House by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), this bill “improves the coordination between federal, state, and local agencies during the response to disasters in rural communities,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 2892, the Weather Alert Response and Notification Act (WARN Act). Introduced in the House by Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-N.Y.), this bipartisan bill “will help Congress develop better policies and procedures for emergency alerts during weather-related emergencies,” according to the Committee.
• ANS to H.R. 4043, To amend the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), this bill “expands eligibility for certain water infrastructure programs established by the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to include states, the District of Columbia, and Territories,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 9037, the Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Troy Carter (D-La), this bipartisan bill “helps address longstanding FEMA workforce challenges and directs the FEMA Administrator to develop and submit to Congress a plan to address staffing gaps,” according to the Committee.
• H.R. 8616, the Ensuring Quality Investments in Preparedness (EQUIP) Act of 2024. Introduced in the House by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), this bill “requires the President to establish a disaster deductible for each state to offset the amount provided in response to a major disaster,” according to the Committee.
• A package of 11 General Services Administration Capital Investment and Leasing Program Resolutions, funded in the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill, for repair, consolidation, life safety, and security projects and short-term lease extensions, was also sent to the full House, according to the Committee.

Click here for more information on the legislation and to view the full Committee markup session.