Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt has joined 18 other state attorneys general in asking that the U. S. Supreme Court restore the rights states and local governments once had to regulate the length of time trains can block railroad crossings. The attorneys general say the public is being put at risk without that type of local control. Many people have died when emergency vehicles were delayed at rail crossings. Rail industry deadlines and practices have made blocked crossings a more common occurrence. Several state and federal courts also have overruled the authority of other states and local governments to enforce their blocked crossings laws, saying that only the federal government can regulate train movements.
Congress has thus far failed to pass any laws limiting how long trains can block a crossing.
