PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.4143 / 108th Congress

Railroad Carriers and Mass Transportation Protection Act of 2004

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Apr 2, 2004

Railroad Carriers and Mass Transportation Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to rewrite provisions prohibiting acts of destruction and violence against trains, railroad equipment and structures, and the mass transportation system to: (1) correspond with current prohibitions against acts of violence against the mass transportation system; (2) apply such provisions to acts committed knowingly (currently, willfully); and (3) add as an aggravated offense the commission of such prohibited act under circumstances in which the railroad on-track equipment or mass transportation vehicle was carrying high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, or specified hazardous material.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV-2] · R–WV

Committees

  • Judiciary Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Aug 18, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.4143 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.4143 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.4143 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.4143 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources