H.R. 8468: Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026

This bill, known as the Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026, aims to establish specific requirements for railroad operations that involve crossing the southern border between the United States and Mexico. Here is a summary of its key provisions:

Train Crew Requirements

• The bill mandates that any railroad carrier operating a freight train into the United States from Mexico must stop at the southern border.
• During this stop, the railroad carrier is required to conduct a crew interchange, which means changing out the train crew from those who crossed the border with the train to new crew members.
• Additionally, federally mandated safety testing must be performed at the border before the train continues its journey into the United States.

Personnel Qualifications

• The bill specifies that only certain individuals are authorized to operate these trains after the required activities at the border:
• Only nationals of the United States or aliens who reside in the U.S. and are lawfully authorized to work can operate the trains.
• These individuals must have their primary reporting point in the United States and cannot perform any duties for the railroad while physically outside the country.

Definitions

• The bill defines key terms such as "alien" and "national of the United States" as per the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• It also clarifies that the “southern border” refers specifically to the international border between the United States and Mexico.

Clerical Amendments

• This legislation includes clerical amendments to the relevant sections of the U.S. Code to incorporate the new requirements about border crossings and train crew requirements.

Goals of the Bill

The primary goal of this bill is to protect the jobs of American railroad workers by ensuring that foreign crews do not operate trains when they enter the U.S. soil and to maintain safety standards at the border for trains arriving from Mexico.

Relevant Companies

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