Staggers Rail Act
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The Staggers Rail Act of 1980, signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 14, deregulated the railroad industry to a significant extent, replacing the regulatory structure that existed since the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act. Railroads were permitted to determine where they ran trains and how much to charge. This followed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.
The act was named for Congressman Harley Staggers (D-WV), who chaired the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. Although it is traditional for laws to be known by the names of their sponsors, this is believed to be the first (but not last) case in which the sponsor's name was officially incorporated into the text of a Federal statute.
