After negotiations, the Railway Safety Act has been moved to the Senate floor. The Railway Safety Act of 2023 was introduced following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The legislation includes provisions to support firefighters who respond to disasters like the East Palestine derailment. It also reforms the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) programs to ensure fire departments can purchase personal protective gear and creates a new program to make fire departments whole after responding to a derailment.