American Association for Justice Urges Federal Railroad Administration to Limit Rights of Consumers
In response to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s nomination hearing of Joseph Szabo as the new administrator to lead the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the American Association for Justice (AAJ) calls on the agency to review Bush administration regulations that weaken safety protections for consumers injured in railroad accidents.
In the last three years of the Bush Administration, the FRA issued nine federal rules which include language that usurps more stringent state safety laws. For example, in 2007, the FRA issued a passenger safety equipment rule regarding the front-end strength of railroad cars. In a rule that should have enhanced the safety of rail passengers, the agency inserted boilerplate preemption language that attempts to block lawsuits by injured consumers if the company meets the bare minimum federal safety requirements. The proposed rule is currently stayed by the January 20, 2009 memo on non-final rules issued by the Obama administration.
You can read more on the AJA's initiative online here.