S. 71, Baby Changing on Board Act

S. 71 would require Amtrak and any intercity passenger rail service that receives financial assistance from the federal government, to install baby changing tables in at least one public restroom per rail car on all passenger trains purchased after enactment, including restrooms that are subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The bill also would require such restrooms to include appropriate signage indicating the presence of a baby changing table. Because Amtrak and intercity passenger rail services are considered to be nonfederal entities, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would have no effect on the federal budget.

Amtrak's new passenger trains are being designed to include baby changing stations in all onboard bathrooms, including those that are ADA-compliant. By requiring Amtrak to comply with additional signage requirements on all new passenger trains they own, S. 71 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). CBO estimates that the cost would not exceed the threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($214 million in 2026, adjusted annually for inflation).

The legislation would not impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in UMRA on the operators of intercity passenger rail services because the bill’s requirements would be a condition of federal assistance.

On June 4, 2025, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 248, the Baby Changing on Board Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on April 2, 2025. The two bills are similar, and CBO’s estimates of their budgetary effects are the same.

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Aurora Swanson (for federal costs) and Brandon Lever (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.