American Railroad Lobbies for Short Line Tax Credit Boost

• In-house: $145,500.
• Cassidy & Associates Inc.: $50,000.
• Quickel Consulting Services LLC: $30,000.

Three lobbyists are named on the in-house filing: Nicole Brewin, vice president, congressional affairs; Richard Sherman, assistant vice president, policy and industry affairs; and Crystal Gitchell, assistant vice president, legislative and regulatory policy. Of the three, only Brewin has recorded congressional staff experience; no staff service is recorded for Sherman or Gitchell. No firms or lobbyists were added or dropped.

Broader Context

Short Line Tax Credit Modernization Act

H.R. 516, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), and its Senate companion S. 1532, sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), would raise the annual short line track maintenance tax credit from $3,500 to $6,100 per track mile and expand eligibility to track owned or leased as of Jan. 1, 2024. Neither H.R. 516 nor S. 1532 has seen further action since referral to committee.

ASLRRA states the existing credit has driven more than $8 billion in private investment since 2005, while track maintenance costs exceed $15,000 per mile against the current $3,500 cap. An opinion piece published in October 2025 argued Congress should not extend the subsidy, citing the proposed cap increase as its central objection.

Surface Reauthorization and Grants

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, is the 119th Congress's pending surface reauthorization proposal, and no Senate companion has been identified. A Congressional Research Service report from Sept. 9 describes the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program as one competitive rail-grant program Congress may address in reauthorization, noting the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized $15.3 billion for several grant programs, including CRISI, subject to appropriations.

Congressional Engagement

In March 2026, Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX-25) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) each posted on X about meeting with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association: Williams cited the need to fix permitting delays that slow critical infrastructure, while Cotton thanked the group for discussing how freight rail supports jobs, growth, and infrastructure in Arkansas.

Competitive Landscape

Organizations including Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association Inc., Anacostia Rail Holdings Co., Alaska Railroad, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Inc., and Palmetto Railways are associated with H.R. 516. Organizations associated with S. 1532 include Appalachian and Ohio Railroad Inc., Red River Valley & Western Railroad Co., Anacostia Rail Holdings Co., National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Inc., and Palmetto Railways.

The Bottom Line

ASLRRA's total lobbying spend has been flat for five consecutive quarters, stabilized at a higher level than the first half of 2025, with no changes in firms or lobbyists across that stretch. The short line railroad tax-credit bills, H.R. 516 and S. 1532, have had no action since referral to committee, while H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, has no identified Senate companion.

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