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HR 9604118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act

Policy Area: Transportation and Public Works
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Oct 3, 2024
Latest Action Date
Sep 16, 2024

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act (H.R. 9604) is a bill introduced in the 118th Congress aimed at addressing issues related to landowner rights in the context of rail-to-trail conversions. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources but has since failed or expired. No official summary or full text is available, limiting detailed analysis. The bill falls under the policy area of Transportation and Public Works and appears to focus on balancing landowner interests with public trail development on former railroad corridors.

Bottom Line

H.R. 9604 sought to address landowner rights in rail-to-trail projects but did not advance beyond committee referral and has expired without becoming law.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
  • It pertains to landowner rights in the context of converting former railroad corridors into public trails.
  • The bill did not progress beyond committee referral and is currently classified as failed or expired.
Who Benefits?

['Private landowners adjacent to or involved in rail-to-trail conversions', 'Local governments and communities interested in trail development', 'Organizations involved in land management and transportation infrastructure']

Potential Concerns

['Lack of available full text and official summary limits understanding of specific provisions and implementation mechanisms.', 'Potential challenges in balancing private property rights with public trail access and use.', 'Unclear funding or enforcement provisions due to missing detailed legislative text.']

Political Context

The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources during the 118th Congress. It addresses a niche issue within transportation and public works related to land use and property rights. The failure to advance suggests limited legislative momentum or prioritization during this session.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 1

GovScope reviewed 1 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

1 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['Potential influence on future legislation addressing landowner rights and public trail development.', 'Possible impact on local land use planning and community engagement around rail-to-trail projects.', 'May affect negotiations between private landowners and public agencies in trail conversion efforts.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of an official summary and full bill text highlights a transparency gap that limits public and stakeholder understanding of the bill's specific provisions and potential impacts. Monitoring future related legislation and committee actions could provide further insights into this policy area.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 60%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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