HOWIE Act

Helping Oversee and Ward off Infrastructure Emergencies Act or the HOWIE Act

This bill requires the Federal Railroad Administration to issue regulations to 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.

Specifically, a railroad must report (1) a train accident resulting in damage (based on a preliminary gross estimate) of $150,000 or more to railroad and nonrailroad property; or (2) a train accident resulting in damage of $25,000 or more to a passenger train, including railroad and nonrailroad property.