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Rail bill amended and then pulled after debate over CDC compliance and federal preemption

TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE · April 20, 2021
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Summary

SB 478, which would have declared rail workers essential during a CDC-declared national pandemic and required railroads to comply with CDC workplace guidelines, was amended to remove health-department language but was pulled for redrafting after industry and union witnesses raised federal-preemption and drafting concerns.

Senator Clark Tucker introduced Senate Bill 478 as a measure to recognize rail workers as essential in the event of a national pandemic declared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to require railroad operators in the state to comply with workplace guidelines provided by the CDC during such a declaration. The committee accepted an amendment removing references to the state health department.

Rail labor leaders urged passage on public-safety and infrastructure-maintenance…

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