HOWIE Act

Latest action Mar 20, 2026

Helping Oversee and Ward off Infrastructure Emergencies Act or the HOWIE Act This bill directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to revise current railroad accident reporting requirements to include additional causes of damage. Specifically, FRA must require a railroad to report a train accident that results in damage if the railroad has a reasonable suspicion that an action carried out by the railroad caused the damage. An accident includes any incident that causes a fire, including a brush fire, alongside a railroad track.

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Where it stands

Assigned to a committee for review.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

Committee

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · U.S. House of Representatives

Full history

Mar 20, 2026
In committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
U.S. House
Mar 20, 2026
Referred to committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Mar 20, 2026
Referred to committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Mar 20, 2026
Referred to committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Mar 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
U.S. House of Representatives

Show full history (2 earlier events)

Mar 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in U.S. House
U.S. House
Mar 19, 2026
Referred to committee
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
U.S. House of Representatives

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Summary: The summary is written by the Congressional Research Service. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Source: From Congress.gov and official rosters. This record was last updated Sep 8, 2026. About our data

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