HB 136 Alaska House · 34th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relating to use of railroad easements.

HB 136 amends Alaska law to clarify rules for railroad utility corridors and easements. It requires railroad corridors to be at least 100 feet wide on both sides of tracks (unless land ownership limits this) and specifies that railroads may lease or grant easements for transportation, communication, and related uses - without restricting other parallel corridor uses. The bill also adds a new provision requiring railroads to allow adjacent property owners to use their land in ways that don’t unreasonably interfere with railroad operations. These changes directly affect railroad corporations and landowners with easements in corridor areas.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 14, 2025 Last action Mar 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB 136 → CSHB 136(TRA) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified as a committee substitute (CSHB) and the sponsor list was updated to reflect the House Transportation Committee. The core policy regarding railroad easements was significantly expanded by adding a new section that allows the railroad corporation to charge fees and require permits specifically for constructing railroad crossings on the easement, while maintaining a ban on fees for other non-interfering uses.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general statement of rights to include specific regulatory authority over railroad crossing construction within easements.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and header were updated to indicate it is a committee substitute (CSHB) rather than the original House Bill (HB).

ELIGIBILITY

The list of bill sponsors was updated to officially list the House Transportation Committee instead of individual representatives.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added allowing the railroad corporation to mandate permits and charge revenue-neutral fees for owners constructing railroad crossings within the easement.

A new exception was created to the general rule against charging fees, permitting fees only for the specific activity of building railroad crossings.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 27, 2026

Committee

(H) REFERRED TO RULES

lower

Mar 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

(H) Moved CSHB 136(TRA) Out of Committee

lower

May 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Moved CSHB 136(TRA) Out of Committee

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors