CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA INTRODUCES THE DON’T BLOCK OUR COMMUNITIES ACT

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) introduced the Don't Block Our Communities (D-BLOC) Act to address the issue of blocked crossings in the Houston region. This bill would prohibit rail carriers from blocking intersections with passing trains for more than 10 minutes.

"I'm proud to introduce this bill in an effort to prevent blocked train crossings in the Houston area," said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. "I've heard far too many horror stories from my constituents who maneuver from stalled railroads to get to work or school. This bill directly results from constituent feedback calling for improvements to Houston's rail system, blocked crossings, and unnecessary horn-blowing."

"Due to the feedback from my community, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) implemented a pilot program in the East End area to monitor train crossings. This $400,000 investment provides real-time monitoring of critical crossings for police, firefighters, and ambulances," continued Congresswoman Garcia.

Additionally, the Don't Block Our Communities Act would:

• Require the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate blocked crossing incidents reported by the public to the new blocked crossing database created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Allow the Federal Railroad Administration to issue fines to rail carriers for repeated violations of this blocked crossing time limit

Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the Financial Services Committee.