Sponsors (2)
The bill clarifies who counts as a yardmaster to improve application and enforcement of protections, but that clarity could narrow coverage for some rail employees and spur short-term legal disputes.
Yardmasters — a subset of transportation workers — will have an explicit statutory definition, reducing ambiguity about who is covered, making it easier to apply and enforce existing workplace protections and compliance obligations.
Some rail workers who perform similar duties could be excluded if the new definition is narrower, causing them to lose statutory protections they previously relied on.
Amending the statutory text may produce short-term legal uncertainty and prompt litigation as courts and employers interpret the new language, affecting workers and rail companies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a statutory definition of “yardmaster employee” to Title 49 and makes conforming edits to section headings and the chapter table.
Official title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for limitations on duty hours for yardmaster employees, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 24, 2025 by Salud Carbajal · Last progress June 24, 2025
Amends chapter 211 of Title 49 of the U.S. Code to add a statutory definition for “yardmaster employee,” adjust related headings and references, and update the chapter table of sections. It clarifies that a yardmaster employee is someone who supervises and coordinates control of trains and engines operating within a rail yard, and makes conforming text changes to existing section language.