Us Code § 21109 - Regulatory authority
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 21109 — Regulatory authority, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 21109. Regulatory authority
(a)
(1) to reduce the maximum hours an employee may be required or allowed to go or remain on duty to a level less than the level established under this chapter;
(2) to increase the minimum hours an employee may be required or allowed to rest to a level greater than the level established under this chapter;
(3) to limit or eliminate the amount of time an employee spends waiting for deadhead transportation or in deadhead transportation from a duty assignment to the place of final release that is considered neither on duty nor off duty under this chapter;
(4) for signal employees—
(A) to limit or eliminate the amount of time that is considered to be neither on duty nor off duty under this chapter that an employee spends returning from an outlying worksite after scheduled duty hours or returning from a trouble call to the employee's headquarters or directly to the employee's residence; and
(B) to increase the amount of time that constitutes a release period, that does not break the continuity of service and is considered time off duty; and
(5) to require other changes to railroad operating and scheduling practices, including unscheduled duty calls, that could affect employee fatigue and railroad safety.
(b)
(c)
(d)
(1) If the Secretary determines that regulations are necessary under subsection (a), the Secretary shall first request that the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee develop proposed regulations and, if the Committee accepts the task, provide the Committee with a reasonable time period in which to complete the task.
(2) If the Secretary requests that the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee accept the task of developing regulations under subsection (b) and the Committee accepts the task, the Committee shall reach consensus on the rulemaking within 18 months after accepting the task. If the Committee does not reach consensus within 18 months after the Secretary makes the request, the Secretary shall prescribe appropriate regulations within 18 months.
(3) If the Secretary does not request that the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee accept the task of developing regulations under subsection (b), the Secretary shall prescribe regulations within 3 years after the date of enactment of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
(e)
(1)
(A) A pilot project at a railroad or railroad facility to evaluate the efficacy of communicating to employees notice of their assigned shift time 10 hours prior to the beginning of their assigned shift as a method for reducing employee fatigue.
(B) A pilot project at a railroad or railroad facility to evaluate the efficacy of requiring railroads who use employee scheduling practices that subject employees to periods of unscheduled duty calls to assign employees to defined or specific unscheduled call shifts that are followed by shifts not subject to call, as a method for reducing employee fatigue.
(2)
(f)
(Added Pub. L. 110–432, div. A, title I, §108(e)(1), Oct. 16, 2008, 122 Stat. 4864.)
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The date of enactment of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, referred to in subsecs. (b), (d)(3), and (e)(1), is the date of enactment of div. A of Pub. L. 110–432, which was approved Oct. 16, 2008.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Completion of Hours of Service and Fatigue Studies
Pub. L. 117–58, div. B, title II, §22408, Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 739, provided that:
"(a)
"(b)
"(c)
"(1) the status of such pilot programs;
"(2) actions that the Federal Railroad Administration has taken to commence the pilot programs, including efforts to recruit participant railroads;
"(3) any challenges impacting the commencement of the pilot programs; and
"(4) any other details associated with the development of the pilot programs that affect progress toward meeting the mandate under such section 21109(e)(1)."
CHAPTER 213—PENALTIES
SUBCHAPTER I—CIVIL PENALTIES
SUBCHAPTER II—CRIMINAL PENALTIES
SUBCHAPTER I—CIVIL PENALTIES
About This Section
49 U.S.C. § 21109 is part of Title 49 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
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