Bill Sponsor
California Senate Bill 667
Session 20252026
Railroads: safety: wayside detectors.
Active
Active
Passed Senate on Jan 27, 2026
First Action
Feb 20, 2025
Latest Action
Jan 27, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
667
State
California
Session
20252026
Sponsorship by Party
Democrat
Author
Summary
The existing Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) authorizes the United States Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations and issue orders for railroad safety and requires the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, when prescribing a security regulation or issuing a security order that affects the safety of railroad operations, to consult with the United States Secretary of Transportation. The FRSA provides for state participation in the enforcement of the safety regulations and orders issued by the United States Secretary of Transportation or the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, pursuant to an annual certification, and authorizes the respective secretaries to make an agreement with a state to provide investigative and surveillance activities. The FRSA provides that, to the extent practicable, laws, regulations, and orders related to railroad safety and security are required to be nationally uniform, but authorizes a state to adopt or continue in force a law, regulation, or order related to railroad safety or security until the United States Secretary of Transportation, with respect to railroad safety matters, or the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to railroad security matters, prescribes a regulation or issues an order covering the subject matter of the state requirement. A state is additionally authorized to adopt or continue in force an additional or more stringent law, regulation, or order related to railroad safety or security, when necessary to eliminate or reduce an essentially local safety or security hazard, that is not incompatible with a federal law, regulation, or order, and that does not unreasonably burden interstate commerce. This bill would require a railroad corporation to install and operate a network of wayside detector systems on or adjacent to any track used by a freight train, require that each wayside detector system include a hot wheel bearing detector, and prescribe the maximum spacing for individual detection devices along a continuous track. The bill would define "wayside detector system" to mean an electronic device or series of connected devices that scans passing freight trains and their component equipment and parts for defects. The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules and processes to implement these provisions, including a penalty of not less than $25,000 for violating these provisions, as provided. The bill would not apply to a class II or class III carrier that has a speed limit of 10 miles per hour or less.
01/27/2026
Assembly
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
01/27/2026
Senate
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 26. Noes 11.) Ordered to the Assembly.
01/26/2026
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
01/22/2026
Senate
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
01/22/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (January 22).
01/21/2026
Senate
Set for hearing January 22.
01/20/2026
Senate
January 20 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
01/15/2026
Senate
Set for hearing January 20.
01/14/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 3. Page 3215.) (January 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
01/05/2026
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.
12/18/2025
Senate
Set for hearing January 13.
04/29/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.
04/28/2025
Senate
April 28 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
04/22/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. (Ayes 12. Noes 4. Page 811.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.
04/11/2025
Senate
Set for hearing April 28 in TRANS. pending receipt.
04/10/2025
Senate
Set for hearing April 21.
04/08/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E., U & C.
04/02/2025
Senate
Re-referred to Coms. on E., U & C. and TRANS.
03/24/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
03/05/2025
Senate
Referred to Com. on RLS.
02/21/2025
Senate
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
02/20/2025
Senate
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 21, 2025 6:01:17 AM
Record Updated
Feb 11, 2026 8:48:11 AM