SF 2111 (LSB 1911SZ (2) 90)

SENATE FILE 2111

BY  COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

(SUCCESSOR TO SF 503)
(SUCCESSOR TO SF 242)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the closure of railway crossings for repairs or upgrades, and making penalties applicable.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 327G.25, Code 2024, is amended to read as follows:
   327G.25  Closing of crossing for repair or upgrade.
   1.  A railway railroad corporation shall not close a railway crossing to the traveling public for more than thirty twenty consecutive days for the purpose of repairing or upgrading the crossing. 
   2.  Before closing a railway crossing, a railroad corporation shall provide notice to the county board of supervisors or city council that has jurisdiction over the crossing detailing the work to be completed, the expected date the work will be completed, and the procedures the corporation will use to close and reopen the crossing.
   3.  Notwithstanding subsection 1, the county board of supervisors or city council that has jurisdiction over a closed crossing may agree that a crossing may be closed for an additional twenty consecutive days. A railroad corporation seeking to extend the closure of a crossing shall provide notice to the applicable board or council detailing the remaining work to be completed, the expected date the remaining work will be completed, and the procedures the corporation will use to reopen the crossing. Such notice shall be provided by the railroad corporation no later than the seventeenth day after the crossing was closed.
   4.  A railway railroad corporation violating this section shall, upon conviction, be subject to a schedule “one” “four” penalty under section 327C.5 for each day a crossing is closed after the number of days allowed in subsection 1 or 3, as applicable.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Current law prohibits a railroad corporation from closing a railway crossing for more than 30 days for the purpose of repairing or upgrading the crossing, and a corporation that violates Code section 327G.25 is subject to a $100 penalty.
   This bill prohibits a railroad corporation from closing a railway crossing for more than 20 consecutive days for the purpose of repairing or upgrading the crossing, and a corporation is subject to a penalty of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000 for each day a crossing is closed after the number of days allowed in the bill.
   The bill requires a railroad corporation to provide notice about an upcoming crossing closure to the county board of supervisors or city council that has jurisdiction over the crossing, prior to closing the crossing. A county board of supervisors or city council is authorized to extend the closure of a crossing for an additional 20 consecutive days if a railroad corporation provides notice.