Summary of H.R. 8405 (119th Congress) — Railroad Retirement Fairness Act

Overview

• Bill: H.R. 8405
  
• Session: 119th Congress, 2nd Session
  
• Introduced: April 21, 2026 by Rep. Chris Deluzio (with Rep. Troy Nehls as co-sponsor)
  
• Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure (House)
  
• Purpose (title): To amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to eliminate certain deductions for annuities under the Act.
  
• Short Title: Railroad Retirement Fairness Act

Key Provision

• The bill amends Section 2(f) of the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. 231a(f)) by striking subdivision (6) from that section.
  
  • In practical terms, this means the bill seeks to eliminate a specific statutory deduction applicable to railroad retirement annuities. The exact nature of the deduction being removed is not described in the text provided, but the action is to remove that particular deduction provision from the law.

Main Purpose and Intent

• The central aim is to increase the amount of certain railroad retirement annuities by removing a preexisting deduction that currently reduces those annuity payments.
• This is framed as a fairness measure intended to enhance retirees’ benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act.

Who Is Affected

• Railroad retirees and beneficiaries receiving annuities under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 would be directly affected since the deduction being eliminated reduces their annuity payments.
• The impact would be limited to the portion of annuity calculations that depend on the struck subdivision (6) of Section 2(f).

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

• Introduction Date: April 21, 2026.
• Initial Action: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for review and consideration.
• The bill’s timeline beyond committee action (e.g., potential floor vote, Senate action, or signing into law) is not provided in the text excerpt.

Additional Considerations

• The summary notes that this is a targeted, technical change to the Railroad Retirement Act, with a one-sentence amendment to remove a single deduction.
• Without the exact current text of Section 2(f)(6), readers should consult the full bill text or the Congressional records to understand precisely which deduction is being repealed and how calculations for annuities will change.

If you’d like, I can pull in the current text of 45 U.S.C. 231a(f) to pinpoint which deduction is being removed and outline the estimated impact on typical annuity amounts.