Transportation, Dept. of - As introduced, extends for one year the annual report the department must submit to committees of the general assembly regarding blocked highway-rail grade crossings data collected by the federal railroad administration. - Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 65.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by William Lamberth

TDOT’s reporting deadlines for FRA blocked highway-rail grade crossing data are extended by one year, delaying the final report to July 1, 2028 and the annual reports to November 1

Ref. to Transportation Committee

#dept.of #transportation

Purpose

HB 1641 amends the reporting timeline related to blocked highway-rail grade crossings data collected by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The bill extends the period for annual reporting by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to certain legislative committees and pushes back the deadline for the final report.

Key Provisions

Reporting extension (annual reports): Extends the current requirement for TDOT to annually report to specified General Assembly committees on blocked highway-rail grade-crossing data collected by the FRA by one additional year, moving the reporting window to November 1, 2027.

Final report deadline: Extends the deadline for the final TDOT report on this data from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028.

Jurisdiction and statutes affected: Amends Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) Title 65, Section 65-3-124, which governs TDOT reporting related to railroad data. The changes affect the timelines without altering the substance of the data collection or reporting requirements.

Effective date: The act takes effect upon becoming law (immediate effect once enacted).

Who/What is Affected

TDOT: Responsible for collecting FRA data on blocked highway-rail grade crossings and for preparing/filing the required reports with the specified legislative committees.

Legislative Committees: The House and Senate committees designated to receive the annual reports continue to receive TDOT’s data, with the extended timeline.

Railroad crossing data: FRA-collected data on blocked crossings remains the subject of this reporting requirement; the bill does not modify data collection methods or FRA’s data itself.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

Current vs. extended timeline: The existing schedule required reporting beginning November 1, 2021 through 2026 with a final report due by July 1, 2027. HB 1641 extends this by one year:

New annual reporting deadline: November 1, 2027
New final reporting deadline: July 1, 2028

Legislative action path: The bill has passed its initial assignments and is proceeding through the Transportation-related committees for consideration.

Fiscal impact: Claimed to have a not significant fiscal impact; the extension can be supported within existing resources.

Practical Impact

The extension provides TDOT with an additional year to compile and report FRA data on blocked highway-rail grade crossings.

Lawmakers and state agencies will receive the updated data later than previously scheduled, potentially affecting oversight timelines but not the data collection itself.

No changes to data collection requirements or penalties are introduced; only timing adjustments for reporting to the General Assembly.

If you’d like, I can provide a brief comparison of current vs. proposed timelines or a one-page briefing for committee staff.

Bill