To make technical amendments to title 49, United States Code, as necessary to improve the Code.
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Would make housekeeping corrections to Title 49 (Transportation) of the U.S. Code, fixing formatting, punctuation, hyphenation, cross-references, and statutory citations — primarily in the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program sections — without changing any substantive policy.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would make purely technical corrections to Title 49 of the U.S. Code. Most changes target Chapter 224, which governs the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program. Corrections include reformatting subparagraph headings to add descriptive labels (e.g., "In general," "Inclusion"), adding parenthetical U.S. Code and Statutes at Large citations for cross-referenced laws, inserting "of this title" into internal cross-references for clarity, fixing a hyphen in "government-sponsored," correcting "an streamlined" to "a streamlined," and fixing a punctuation error. One correction in the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 fixes a statutory cross-reference from section 22402(b)(1)(E) to the correct section 22402(b)(1)(F).
None of the amendments change any eligibility criteria, funding levels, program requirements, or substantive rights or obligations. The bill's stated purpose is solely to improve the accuracy and readability of the Code.
Key provisions
- 1Would reformat subparagraph headings throughout the RRIF definitions section (49 U.S.C. § 22401), adding labels such as 'In general,' 'Direct loan,' and 'Loan guarantee'
- 2Would insert parenthetical Statutes at Large citations for referenced public laws and add 'of this title' to internal cross-references throughout the RRIF direct-loan provisions (49 U.S.C. § 22402)
- 3Would add 'of this title' to internal cross-references in the RRIF administration, criteria, and appropriations sections (49 U.S.C. §§ 22403, 22405, 22406)
- 4Would correct a cross-reference in the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 from section 22402(b)(1)(E) to section 22402(b)(1)(F) of title 49
Who would be affected
Primarily legal drafters, agency counsel, and researchers who use Title 49 of the U.S. Code. Entities involved in the RRIF program — including railroad operators, transit agencies, and the Department of Transportation — would see no change to their substantive rights or obligations.
Why it matters
Technical corrections bills keep statutory text internally consistent and accurate, reducing the risk that misformatted cross-references or typographical errors cause confusion in legal interpretation or program administration. No party's legal rights or program eligibility would change as a result of this bill.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 22401 (Sec. 3(a))
Reformats subparagraph headings and adds parenthetical citations; no substantive change.
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 22402 (Sec. 3(b))
Adds Statutes at Large citations, fixes hyphenation, corrects grammar, and adds 'of this title' to internal cross-references.
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 22403 (Sec. 3(c))
Adds 'of this title' to multiple internal cross-references; no substantive change.
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 22405 (Sec. 3(d))
Adds 'of this title' after a cross-reference to section 22402; no substantive change.
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 22406 (Sec. 3(e))
Removes a stray period from the section heading and adds 'of this title' to two cross-references.
Amends 49 U.S.C. § 116 (Sec. 4(a))
Adds 'of this title' to a cross-reference in the National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau provision.
Amends Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 (49 U.S.C. 22402 note) (Sec. 4(b))
Corrects a cross-reference from section 22402(b)(1)(E) to the correct section 22402(b)(1)(F) of title 49.
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4523 would have no effect on the federal budget, with zero impact on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit over the 2026–2035 period.
CBO estimates that H.R. 4523, which makes technical amendments to title 49 of the United States Code to correct errors and update statutory references, would have no budgetary effect — with $0 in changes to direct spending (mandatory spending by the government), revenues, or the deficit over the 2026–2030 and 2026–2035 windows. Because the bill only updates statutory references, corrects errors, and makes other nonsubstantive changes to existing law, CBO concluded it would not alter any federal spending or tax obligations. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Official CRS summary
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This bill makes technical amendments to Title 49 (Transportation) of the U.S. Code, including amendments related to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program.
Legislative subjects
Government lending and loan guarantees; Infrastructure development; Railroads; Transportation and Public Works; Transportation programs funding