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HR 5697119th CongressIn Committee
Passenger Rail Liability Adjustment Act of 2025
Introduced: Oct 6, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-Texas)
Infrastructure
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
This bill, titled the Passenger Rail Liability Adjustment Act of 2025, would change when any Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based adjustment to the rail passenger liability cap becomes effective if such an adjustment is made during calendar year 2026. Specifically, it requires that the effective date of any 2026 CPI-based adjustment to the liability cap (as described in the FAST Act and tied to 49 U.S.C. 28103(a)(2)) be 90 days after the required notice is issued under FAST Act section 11415(b). In short: the bill does not change the amount of the cap or how it is calculated; it only shifts the timing so that the adjustment takes effect a fixed 90 days after the statutory notice is published.
Key Points
- 1The bill provides a fixed 90-day delay after the required notice before a CPI-based rail passenger liability cap adjustment (occurring in 2026) takes effect.
- 2It concerns the liability cap described in 49 U.S.C. 28103(a)(2) and the notice provisions in section 11415(b) of the FAST Act.
- 3The bill does not alter how the CPI is calculated or the actual level of the liability cap; it only adjusts when the adjustment would become effective.
- 4The change applies only to adjustments that occur during calendar year 2026.
- 5The short title is the “Passenger Rail Liability Adjustment Act of 2025.”
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected- Rail passenger carriers, rail operators, insurers, and individuals filing claims for rail passenger injuries, who are subject to the liability cap and its CPI-based adjustment.Secondary group/area affected- Federal and state regulators, including agencies implementing rail safety and liability provisions (e.g., Department of Transportation and its agencies).- Courts that adjudicate claims subject to the rail passenger liability cap.Additional impacts- Timing and planning for liability exposure, insurance pricing, and potential settlements or judgments could be influenced by the 90-day lead time after notice.- Clarity in regulatory and industry budgeting for 2026 adjustments, reducing ambiguity about when any CPI-based increase (or reduction, if applicable) would apply.The bill does not specify the exact amount of the cap or the CPI formula; it strictly governs the timing of when an adjustment would take effect.If no CPI-based adjustment to the cap occurs in 2026, the bill would have no practical effect.
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