Staggers Rail Act

The Staggers Rail Act is a federal act in the United States signed by US President Jimmy Carter on October 14, 1980 . The law introduced extensive deregulation of the American railroad industry and repealed the provisions of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. In particular, the railway companies were exempted from the restrictions on setting tariffs and operating the network.

After the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act, the law was the second important piece of legislation that dealt with the reorganization of the railroad system in the USA at the end of the 20th century. It was named after Harley Orrin Staggers named, a Congressman from West Virginia , who chaired the Committee for interstate and foreign commerce. This marked the first time in American history that the name of the sponsor of the law was officially included in the name. The common-language naming had been in practice for a long time ( Jones Act ).