republic-os/legal/us/code/title-45/chapter-16/section-711.md

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LegalText	45 U.S.C. § 711	Formation and structure	us	united_states_code	code_section	45	RAILROADS	16	REGIONAL RAIL REORGANIZATION	711	45 U.S.C. § 711	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc45@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t45/s711	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-45/usc45.xml	6526b6306d42d128102ed3fa35c4fe4f28f3e68b0bb68b567c60475a6bb0ed02	6ff04cb352e22f8a18f24c94e9adb8036909cf2a75f41489d768a5934fb9667c	4bbae4919ade8cbc815550259ce9f288614d6630f65e5365c60c067dc05e2e7d	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

45 U.S.C. § 711 - Formation and structure

Text

(a) Establishment There is established, in accordance with the provisions of this section, an incorporated nonprofit association to be known as the United States Railway Association.

(b) Administration The Association shall be directed by a Board of Directors. The individuals designated, pursuant to subsection (d)(2) of this section, as the Government members of such Board shall be deemed the incorporators of the Association and shall take whatever steps are necessary to establish the Association, including filing of articles of incorporation, and serving as an acting Board of Directors for a period of not more than 45 days after the date of incorporation of the Association.

(c) Status The Association shall be a government corporation of the District of Columbia subject, to the extent not inconsistent with this subchapter, to the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act. Except as otherwise provided, employees of the Association shall not be deemed employees of the Federal Government. The Association shall have succession until dissolved by Act of Congress, shall maintain its principal office in the District of Columbia, and shall be deemed to be a resident of the District of Columbia with respect to venue in any legal proceeding.

(d) Board of Directors (1) The Board of Directors of the Association shall consist of five individuals, as follows:

(A) The Chairman, who shall be the individual serving as Chairman on August 13, 1981, until the expiration of his term of office or his resignation, or his replacement, who shall be selected by the outgoing Chairman and the other members of the Board.

(B) The Secretary of Transportation.

(C) The Comptroller General of the United States.

(D) The Chairman of the Commission.

(E) The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

(2) The Chairman may not have any employment or other direct financial relationship with any freight railroad. The Chairman shall receive $300 per diem when engaged in the actual performance of his duties plus reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of such duties.

(e) Term of office The term of office of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association shall expire on December 31, 1987. The Chairman may be reappointed and the term of the Chairman shall be 3 years.

(f) Quorum Three members of the Board of Directors, or their representatives, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any function of the Association.

(g) Assumption of Finance Committee functions The Board of Directors shall, on August 13, 1981, assume the functions previously performed by the Finance Committee.

(h) Representation at meetings The members of the Board of Directors may send representatives to meetings of such Board, and such representatives may exercise full powers of the members.

(i) Miscellaneous 11 See Codification note below. (1) The Association shall have a seal which shall be judicially recognized.

(2) The Administrator of General Services shall furnish the Association with such offices, equipment, supplies, and services as he is authorized to furnish to any other agency or instrumentality of the United States.

(3) The Secretary is authorized to transfer to the Association or the Corporation rights in intellectual property which are directly related to the conduct of the functions of the Association or the Corporation, to the extent that the Federal Government has such rights and to the extent that transfer is necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(4) Any reference in this chapter to the Chairman of the Commission is to the Chairman of the Commission or the person who is at the time performing the duties of the Chairman of the Commission in accordance with law.

(j) Use of names 1 No person, except the Association, shall hereafter use the words “United States Railway Association” as a name for any business purpose. Violations of this provision may be enjoined by any court of general jurisdiction in an action commenced by the Association. In any such action, the Association may recover any actual damages flowing from such violation, and, in addition, shall be entitled to punitive damages (regardless of the existence or nonexistence of actual damage) in an amount not to exceed $100 for each day during which such violation was committed. The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction over actions brought under this subsection, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties.

(Pub. L. 93–236, title II, § 201, Jan. 2, 1974, 87 Stat. 988; Pub. L. 94–210, title VI, §§ 603(a), (b), 607(a), 612(j)(2), Feb. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 88, 96, 109; Pub. L. 94–555, title II, § 211(b)–(e), Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2624; Pub. L. 95–611, § 2, Nov. 8, 1978, 92 Stat. 3089; Pub. L. 96–448, title V, § 508(c), Oct. 14, 1980, 94 Stat. 1957; Pub. L. 97–35, title XI, § 1147, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 673; Pub. L. 98–181, title II, § 2003(c)(1), Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1297; Pub. L. 99–190, § 101(e) [title III, § 332], Dec. 19, 1985, 99 Stat. 1267, 1290.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextThe District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 87–569, Aug. 6, 1962, 76 Stat. 265, which is not classified to the Code.

Codification Section 1147 of Pub. L. 97–35 directed that subsecs. (d) to (i) be struck out and replaced by new subsecs. (d) to (h), and that subsecs. (j) and (k) be redesignated (g) and (h), respectively. Because a literal execution of the amendment would result in two subsections designated (g) and two subsections designated (h), and to reflect the probable intent of Congress, subsecs. (j) and (k) have been editorially redesignated (i) and (j), respectively.

Amendments1985—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 99–190, § 101(e) [title III, § 332(1)], inserted “freight” before “railroad”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 99–190, § 101(e) [title III, § 332(2)], substituted “1987” for “1985”. 1983—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 98–181 substituted “1985” for “1983”. 1981—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted provisions respecting a five-member board for provisions respecting an eleven-member board. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted provisions respecting term of office and reappointment of Chairman for provisions respecting term of office of Chairman and nongovernmental members, reappointment of members, and vacancies. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted provisions respecting three-member quorum requirement for provisions respecting six-member quorum requirement. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted provisions relating to assumption of Finance Committee functions for provisions relating to appointment of the President of the Association. See Codification note above. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 97–35 substituted provisions relating to representation at meetings for provisions relating to the executive committee of the Board of Directors. See Codification note above. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 97–35 redesignated subsec. (j) as (i). Former subsec. (i), which related to membership, functions, etc., of the Finance Committee, was struck out. See Codification note above. Subsecs. (j), (k). Pub. L. 97–35 redesignated former subsecs. (j) relating to miscellaneous provisions, and (k) relating to use of names, as (i) and (j), respectively. See Codification note above. 1980—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 96–448, § 508(c)(1), inserted provision authorizing Secretary of Transportation to act directly or through the General Counsel of Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administrator, or the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration and substituted provision authorizing Secretary of the Treasury to act directly or through an officer of Department of the Treasury who has been appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate for provision authorizing Secretary of the Treasury to act directly or through Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 96–448, § 508(c)(2), substituted “in the case of the Secretary, through the Deputy Secretary of Transportation, the General Counsel of the Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administrator, or the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and, in the case of the Secretary of the Treasury, through an officer of the Department of the Treasury who has been appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate” for “through their respective Deputy Secretaries”. Subsec. (j)(4). Pub. L. 96–448, § 508(c)(3), struck out provision that any reference in this chapter to Secretary of the Treasury is to Secretary of the Treasury or person who is at time performing duties of the Office of Secretary of the Treasury or, in his absence, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. 1978—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–611 inserted provision that members of Board shall continue to serve until their successors have been appointed and qualified. 1976—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 94–555, § 211(b), substituted “the Deputy Secretary of Transportation, the Vice Chairman of the Commission, or the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, as the case may be” for “their duly authorized representatives” after “at any time through”. Pub. L. 94–210, § 603(b)(2), substituted “acting directly or at any time through” for “or”. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 94–555, § 211(c), struck out “The Secretary and the Chairman of the Commission may act in such capacity directly or at any time through their duly authorized representatives” after “members of the Board”. Pub. L. 94–210, § 603(b)(1), inserted provision authorizing Secretary and Chairman to act directly or through their duly authorized representatives. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 94–555, § 211(d), substituted “Deputy Secretaries” for “duly authorized representatives” after “through their respective”. Pub. L. 94–210, § 603(a), added subsec. (i). Former subsec. (i) redesignated (j). Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 94–210, §§ 603(a), 607(a), redesignated former subsec. (i) as (j) and added par. (4). Former subsec. (j) redesignated (k). Subsec. (j)(4). Pub. L. 94–555, § 211(e), inserted “who is” after “Treasury or the person” and “Commission or the person”, and substituted “in his absence, the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury” for “the duly authorized representatives of either of them” after “Treasury in accordance with law”. Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 94–210, §§ 603(a), 612(j)(2), redesignated former subsec. (j) as (k), substituted “this provision” for “these provisions”, and struck out “or the Corporation” after “Association” in two places and provisions relating to use of “Consolidated Rail Corporation” as a name for any business purpose.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1981 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–35 effective Aug. 13, 1981, see section 1169 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1101 of this title.

Effective Date of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–448 effective Oct. 1, 1980, see section 710(a) of Pub. L. 96–448, set out as a note under section 1170 of Title 11, Bankruptcy.

Effective Date of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 94–555 effective Oct. 1, 1976, see section 303 of Pub. L. 94–555, set out as a note under section 702 of this title.

Abolition of Interstate Commerce Commission and Transfer of Functions Interstate Commerce Commission abolished and functions of Commission transferred, except as otherwise provided in Pub. L. 104–88, to Surface Transportation Board effective Jan. 1, 1996, by section 1302 of Title 49, Transportation, and section 101 of Pub. L. 104–88, set out as a note under section 1301 of Title 49. References to Interstate Commerce Commission deemed to refer to Surface Transportation Board, a member or employee of the Board, or Secretary of Transportation, as appropriate, see section 205 of Pub. L. 104–88, set out as a note under section 1301 of Title 49.

Abolition of United States Railway Association and Transfer of Functions and Securities See section 1341 of this title.

Applicability of National Environmental Policy ActApplication of National Environmental Policy Act to actions of Commission not affected by title VI of Pub. L. 94–210, see section 619 of Pub. L. 94–210, set out as a note under section 791 of this title.