The U.S. House on Thursday unanimously approved the Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015 (S. 808), a bipartisan bill that proposes to reauthorize and reform the STB. The bill, which the Senate passed earlier this year, now goes to President Obama for his signature.
The bill represents the first reauthorization of the STB and update of rail economic regulation in 20 years. The measure proposes to remove the STB from the U.S. Department of Transportation — establishing the board as an independent agency — and increase the number of STB commissioners from three to five.