Patrick and Barbara Kowalski Freight Brokers Safety Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6884 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6884 To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a penalty for a freight broker that contracts with an unsafe carrier, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 18, 2025 Mr. Moolenaar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a penalty for a freight broker that contracts with an unsafe carrier, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Patrick and Barbara Kowalski Freight Brokers Safety Act''. SEC. 2. PENALTY FOR CONTRACTING WITH UNSAFE CARRIER. (a) In General.--Chapter 149 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Sec. 14917. Penalty for contracting with unsafe carrier ``(a) In General.--Any broker under this part that contracts with any specified transportation company shall be liable to the United States for a civil penalty in an amount equal to 10 percent of the value of the contracted cargo for the entire contract of such broker with the specified transportation company. ``(b) Deposit in Highway Trust Fund.--The Secretary shall deposit any penalty collected under subsection (a) into the Highway Trust Fund. ``(c) Use of Funds.--The Secretary may use amounts deposited under subsection (b) without further appropriation for projects or infrastructure eligible under this title or title 23 that increase roadway safety. ``(d) Specified Transportation Company Defined.--In this section, the term `specified transportation company' means a p