WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 8, 2023 – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the below statement as bipartisan support grows for his Railway Safety Act of 2023. U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Mitt Romney (R-UT), as well as former President Donald Trump, announced their support for the bill. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the committee will meet to consider the Railway Safety Act of 2023. Brown is continuing to push to get the bill on the Senate Floor for a vote by the full Senate.
“Rail safety isn’t partisan. I’ve said from the beginning, I’ll work with everyone to get this done and make sure disastrous derailments like the one in East Palestine never happen again,” said Brown. “We’re building a broad, bipartisan coalition to get our rail safety bill over the finish line. It’s time big rail corporations like Norfolk Southern start reinvesting in their workers and safety to keep our communities safe.”
In March, Brown led a bipartisan group of colleagues, including Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), to introduce his Railway Safety Act of 2023 that will improve rail safety protocols, finally standing up to railroad company lobbyists so no other community has to deal with what East Palestine and others in Ohio, including residents of Springfield, Sandusky, and Steubenville, have dealt with.