The full House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would fine rail companies for blocking railroad intersections with stopped trains.

House Bill 2472 would authorize municipalities, county sheriffs and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to issue a citation to any person or corporation that blocks a railroad intersection for longer than ten minutes. The bill allows authorities to issue a citation up to $10,000 per incident. 

The fines would not apply when the train is stopped for one of several current exemptions that permit a train to stop for longer than 10 minutes, including mechanical failure, an obstruction on the track, weather and waiting for another train to pass in the opposite direction.