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H.R. 188
U.S. House•House Floor Calendar
Summary
H.R. 188, the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act, was introduced in the House on Jan 3, 2025 by Rep. Troy Nehls (R) with 1 co-sponsor. It last saw action on Jun 6, 2025: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 113.
Record
Text
H.R. 188 has 1 co-sponsor.
hb188/introduced-in-house.txt119 HR 188 IH: Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers ActU.S. House of Representatives2025-01-03text/xmlENPursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 188 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. Nehls (for himself and Mr. Graves ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILLTo require that the Amtrak Board of Directors comply with the open meetings requirements of section 552b of title 5, United States Code, and for other purposes.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act .2.Open meetingsSection 24301(e) of title 49, United States Code, is amended—(1)by striking Section 552 of title 5, this part and inserting the following:(1)In generalExcept as provided in paragraph (3), sections 552 and 552b of title 5, this part;(2)in the second sentence by striking Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, applies and inserting the following:(2)Timing of applicationExcept as provided in paragraph (3), sections 552 and 552b of title 5 apply; and(3)by adding at the end the following:(3)Scope of application(A)InformationThe requirements of the second sentence of section 552b(b) of title 5 shall not apply to any portion of an Amtrak meeting and subsections (d) and (e) of section 552b of title 5 shall not apply to any information pertaining to any portion of an Amtrak meeting otherwise required by section 552b of title 5 to be disclosed to the public in any case in which Amtrak properly determines that such portion or portions of the meeting or the disclosure of such information is likely to involve—(i)contract negotiations, including negotiations for contract procurements and agreements, the disclosure of which would imperil or compromise the competitive position of Amtrak;(ii)collective bargaining agreements or any terms and conditions that are proposed for inclusion in any collective bargaining agreement, including the negotiation of terms and conditions with employees or representatives of employees of Amtrak; and(iii)with respect to any individual who is a prospective officer, employee, or contractor or an officer, employee, or contractor employed or appointed by Amtrak, matters involving the employment, appointment, termination of employment, terms and conditions of employment, evaluation of the performance of, promotion or disciplining of any such individual, unless all such individuals whose rights could be adversely affected request in writing that the matter or matters be discussed at a public meeting.(B)Additional applicationIn addition to the information described in subparagraph (B), the information described in section 552b(c) shall apply to Amtrak meetings..
Tracker
The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.
- Introduced2025-01-03
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Conference
- To President
- Became Law
CRS Summary
The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.
Introduced in House Jan 3, 2025
hb188/introduced-in-house.mdShown Here:
Introduced in House (01/03/2025)
Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act
This bill directs Amtrak to comply with federal open meeting requirements under the Government in the Sunshine Act, with exceptions.
Under the bill, certain open meeting requirements do not apply to any portion or portions of a meeting that Amtrak properly determines are likely to involve
- contract negotiations, including negotiations for contract procurements and agreements, the disclosure of which would imperil or compromise Amtrak’s competitive position;
- collective bargaining agreements or any terms and conditions that are proposed for inclusion in an agreement; and
- matters involving the employment, appointment, termination, terms and conditions of employment, performance evaluation, promotion, or disciplining of a current or prospective Amtrak officer, employee, or contractor (unless all affected individuals request in writing that the matter or matters be discussed at a public meeting).
Sponsors
Rep. Troy Nehls (R) sponsors H.R. 188, and 1 member has co-sponsored it from the day it was introduced.
Committees
H.R. 188 went before 2 committees: Transportation and Infrastructure and Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.


Reports
1 committee report has been filed on H.R. 188, the latest H. Rept. 119-144.
- H. Rept. 119-144 — AMTRAK TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PASSENGERS AND TAXPAYERS ACT
Actions
H.R. 188 has taken 8 actions since Jan 3, 2025, the latest on Jun 6, 2025.
| Chamber | Action | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 6, 2025 | House | Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 119-144.Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | ||
Jun 6, 2025 | House | Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 113. | ||
Apr 2, 2025 | House | Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials DischargedTransportation and Infrastructure Committee | ||
Apr 2, 2025 | House | Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session HeldTransportation and Infrastructure Committee | ||
Apr 2, 2025 | House | Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.Transportation and Infrastructure Committee |
Votes
H.R. 188 has not gone to a roll call.
Titles
H.R. 188 goes by 4 titles, 2 of them short titles.
- Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act — Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act — Display Title
- Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
- To require that the Amtrak Board of Directors comply with the open meetings requirements of section 552b of title 5, United States Code, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced
Lobbying
2 clients hired 2 firms and 8 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 188 in 6 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.
Filed under Railroads, Agriculture, Budget/Appropriations, Defense, Energy/Nuclear, Environment/Superfund, Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities, Fuel/Gas/Oil.
Clients
Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.
| Client | Business | State | Firms | Filings | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | Intercity passenger rail coalition | California | 1 | 5 | $150K |
| NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION | — | District of Columbia | 1 | 1 | — |
Firms
Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.
| Registrant | Clients | Filings | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 1 | 5 | $150K |
| NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION | 1 | 1 | — |
Lobbyists
Named on the filings that cite the bill.
| Lobbyist | Firms | Clients | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| JASON TAI | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| MATT GINSBERG | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| BRANDON ARNOLD | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| BRYAN RILEY | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DAVID TIMMONS | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JENNIFER PLACE | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| PETE SEPP | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| THOMAS AIELLO | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Filings
The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.
| Client | Registrant | Period | Reported | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 2026 second_quarter | $30K | 2nd Quarter - Report |
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 2026 first_quarter | $30K | 1st Quarter - Report |
| NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION | NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION | 2025 fourth_quarter | $30K | 4th Quarter - Report |
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 2025 fourth_quarter | $30K | 4th Quarter - Report |
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 2025 third_quarter | $30K | 3rd Quarter - Report |
| CALIFORNIA INTERCITY RAIL CORRIDORS LINKING EVERYONE (CIRCLE) | TAI GINSBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC | 2025 second_quarter | $30K | 2nd Quarter - Report |
Classification
The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 188 under Transportation and Public Works, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 5 legislative subjects.
CRS Subjects
CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 188’s is Transportation and Public Works.
hr188/policy-areas.txtLegislative Subjects
H.R. 188 carries 5 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Congressional oversight to Railroads.
hr188/subjects.txtConstitutional authority
The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 188, as entered in the Congressional Record.
[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 1 (Friday, January 3, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. NEHLS:H.R. 188.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8 of the US ConstitutionThe single subject of this legislation is:To apply the requirements of the Government in the SunshineAct to meetings of Amtrak's Board of Directors[Page H42]
Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com