; (7) prohibit any Class I railroad, employee, or agent from withholding, or causing to be withheld, the train consist information from first responders, emergency response officials, Federal and State agencies, and law enforcement personnel described in paragraph (2)(B) who are responding to an incident, accident, or public health or safety emergency involving the rail transportation of hazardous materials; and (8) establish security and confidentiality protections, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, including protections from the public release of proprietary information or security sensitive information (as defined in section 15.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations), to prevent the release to unauthorized persons any electronic train consist information or advanced notification or information provided by Class I railroads under this section. (c) Rule of construction Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit a Class I railroad from voluntarily entering into a memorandum of understanding with a State emergency response commission or an entity representing or including first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel. (d) Safety improvements Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Railway Safety Act of 2023 , the Secretary shall evaluate and update, to the extent necessary for safety and in compliance with Executive Order 12866 ( 5 U.S.C. 601 note; relating to regulatory planning and review), the operational requirements for high-hazard trains to ensure the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail, including— (1) preventing the placement of blocks of empty railcars in locations within the consist of the train that increase the chance or severity of a derailment