H.R. 853 — Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act

This section establishes a new Hazardous Train Event Emergency Reimbursement Fund in the Treasury, administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), to reimburse state and local emergency response entities (e.g., law enforcement, fire departments) for costs responding to declared hazardous train events (i.e., derailments, crashes, or incidents involving hazardous materials, waste, or other public health, safety, or environmental threats). The FRA Administrator, consulting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Environmental Protection Agency, may declare such an event within three days, triggering an immediate award of at least $250,000 from the Fund and potential additional awards up to $3 million total per event within five days based on needs. Reimbursable costs include replacing damaged or contaminated equipment, overtime pay for responders, operational response costs, and other related purposes, with retroactive coverage for costs incurred after the event or within 30 days of receiving funds; entities must document uses within 120 days or repay misused amounts.

This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Transportation Security Administration Administrator, to issue regulations requiring railroads transporting hazardous materials by train through any U.S. community to provide county and local emergency response agencies—including police, fire, and emergency response groups—with (1) advance warning of the train's load and timing and (2) real-time location information when the train enters and exits the applicable service area.

This section establishes an annual fee schedule, with total collections of not less than $10 million, on shippers and carriers of hazardous materials by rail. Fees collected are deposited into the Hazardous Train Event Emergency Reimbursement Fund.