[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 120 (Monday, July 17, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5892-H5894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1700
  GRANTING CONSENT AND APPROVAL OF CONGRESS TO AMEND WASHINGTON AREA 
                       TRANSIT REGULATION COMPACT

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 92) granting the consent and approval of 
Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and 
the District of Columbia to amend the Washington Area Transit 
Regulation Compact.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows

                              H.J. Res. 92

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Congress in title III of the Fixing America's Surface 
     Transportation Act (section 3026, Public Law 114-94) provided 
     sole authority to the Secretary of Transportation to appoint 
     Federal Directors to the Board of Directors of the Washington 
     Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and required the 
     signatory parties to the Compact to amend the Compact as 
     necessary.
       (2) Legislation enacted by the State of Maryland, the 
     Commonwealth of Virginia, and the District of Columbia 
     contains the amendments to the Washington Metropolitan Area 
     Transit Regulation Compact pursuant to section 3026(b) of the 
     Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (Public Law 114-
     94).

     SEC. 2. CONSENT OF CONGRESS TO COMPACT AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Consent.--Consent of Congress is given to the 
     amendments of the State of Maryland, the amendments of the 
     Commonwealth of Virginia, and the amendments of the District 
     of Columbia to section 5, of title III of the Washington 
     Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact.
       (b) Amendments.--The amendments referred to in subsection 
     (a) amending section 5 of such Compact are substantially as 
     follows:
       ``(a) The Authority shall be governed by a Board of eight 
     Directors consisting of two Directors for each Signatory and 
     two for the Federal Government (one of whom shall be a 
     regular passenger and customer of the bus or rail service of 
     the Authority). For Virginia, the Directors shall be 
     appointed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission; 
     for the District of Columbia by the Council of the District 
     of Columbia; for Maryland, by the Washington Suburban Transit 
     Commission; and for the Federal Government, by the Secretary 
     of the United States Department of Transportation. For 
     Virginia and Maryland, the Directors shall be appointed from 
     among the members of the appointing body, except as otherwise 
     provided herein, and shall serve for a term coincident with 
     their term on the appointing body. A Director for a Signatory 
     may be removed or suspended from office only as provided by 
     the law of the Signatory from which he was appointed. The 
     non-Federal appointing authorities shall also appoint an 
     alternate for each Director. In addition, the Secretary of 
     the United States Department of Transportation shall also 
     appoint two nonvoting members who shall serve as the 
     alternates for the Federal Directors. An alternate Director 
     may act only in the absence of the Director for whom he has 
     been appointed an alternate, except that, in the case of the 
     District of Columbia where only one Director and his 
     alternate are present, such alternate may act on behalf of 
     the absent Director. Each alternate, including the Federal 
     nonvoting Directors, shall serve at the pleasure of the 
     appointing authority. In the event of a vacancy in the Office 
     of Director or alternate, it shall be filled in the same 
     manner as an original appointment.
       ``(b) Before entering upon the duties of his office each 
     Director and alternate director shall take and subscribe to 
     the following oath (or affirmation) of office or any such 
     other oath or affirmation, if any, as the Constitution or 
     laws of the Government he represents shall provide: `I, 
     ____________________, hereby solemnly swear (or affirm) that 
     I will support and defend the Constitution of the United 
     States and the Constitution and Laws of the state or 
     political jurisdiction from which I was appointed as a 
     Director (alternate director) of the Board of Washington 
     Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and will faithfully 
     discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to 
     enter.'.''.

     SEC. 3. RIGHT TO ALTER, AMEND, OR REPEAL.

       The right to alter, amend, or repeal this joint resolution 
     is expressly reserved. The consent granted by this joint 
     resolution shall not be construed as impairing or in any 
     manner affecting any right or jurisdiction of the United 
     States in and over the region that forms the subject of the 
     Compact.

     SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY.

       It is intended that the provisions of this Compact shall be 
     reasonably and liberally construed to effectuate the purposes 
     thereof. If any part or application of this Compact, or 
     legislation enabling the Compact, is held invalid, the 
     remainder of the Compact or its application to other 
     situations or persons shall not be affected.

     SEC. 5. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE.

       The validity of this Compact shall not be affected by any 
     insubstantial differences in its form or language as adopted 
     by the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and 
     the District of Columbia.

     SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This joint resolution shall take effect on the date of 
     enactment of this joint resolution.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of New York). Pursuant to the 
rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on H.J. Res. 92, currently under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.J. Res. 92, introduced by my Virginia colleague, 
Representative Comstock, concerns the Washington-area transit system. 
The resolution makes needed administrative amendments to the 
longstanding Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact.

[[Page H5893]]

  These amendments are required under section 3026 of the Fixing 
America's Surface Transportation, or FAST, Act. That section 
transferred from the Administrator of General Services to the Secretary 
of Transportation sole authority to appoint Federal directors to the 
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board of directors. It 
further required Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia to 
adopt any necessary conforming amendments to the Washington Area 
Transit Regulation Compact.
  The jurisdictions adopted the needed amendments as required. H.J. 
Res. 92 accordingly grants Congress' approval to the amendments.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
thank Members on both sides of the aisle, including Congresswoman 
Comstock, for their good work on this.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 92. I thank my 
colleague from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), the chairman of the committee, 
for leading this measure, and I am very happy to lend my support to the 
resolution.
  This resolution would grant congressional consent to amendments to 
the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact Authority 
pursuant to legislation already enacted by the District of Columbia, 
Maryland, and Virginia, respectively.
  Established in 1967, the WMATA is an interstate compact agency 
responsible for operating the mass transit system for the Washington 
Metropolitan area.
  As part of a broader effort to promote safety and efficiency in the 
WMATA Metrorail system, Congress transferred appointment authority for 
the WMATA board of directors to the Secretary of Transportation through 
enactment of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act in 2015, 
the so-called FAST Act. Under the FAST Act, Congress also directed the 
WMATA jurisdictions to adopt conforming compact amendments.
  H.J. Res. 92 is a bipartisan measure that would grant Congress' 
consent to these amendments to the WMATA compact.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), who is the chief sponsor 
of the legislation.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my resolution, H.J. 
Res. 92, which lends congressional approval to an amendment made to the 
WMATA interstate compact.
  As was mentioned, the last iteration of the highway bill, the FAST 
Act, contained a provision that directed Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. 
to amend the compact to change appointment authority for the Federal 
directors on the WMATA board from the administrator of the GSA to the 
more appropriate Secretary of Transportation.
  This was a very commonsense change that was made in light of recent 
incidents and accidents and the real need to have a top priority for 
safety.
  The Secretary of Transportation, I believe, is in a much better 
position to appoint directors to the Metro board than the administrator 
of the GSA. The States of Virginia and Maryland as well as D.C. 
complied with this directive and amended the compact, and we are all in 
agreement here.
  The previous Secretary of Transportation last year appointed two very 
well-qualified candidates to serve as the Federal directors on the 
WMATA board.
  The final legal step that we are taking today here in this equation 
is for Congress to lend its approval to the change, and that is what 
this resolution does.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton)
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend Representative 
Jamie Raskin for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I was ranking member of the subcommittee that had 
jurisdiction over the FAST Act when we received the request from the 
region--the Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia region--to 
transfer the authority to appoint directors to the Washington 
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board from the GSA to the 
Department of Transportation.
  For the life of me, I can't remember why this authority was given to 
the GSA in the first place. But it may have been because WMATA was 
considered simply an agency of interest to the Federal Government.
  On consideration, under the FAST Act, we agreed that the Department 
of Transportation was, by far, the more appropriate agency to appoint 
Federal directors--understand there are local directors--but Federal 
directors to WMATA. There are also Federal directors to the WMATA 
board.
  This is of great interest to the region. I recognize it is not 
monumental for the Congress, but the region very much needs this joint 
resolution. All three jurisdictions--the District of Columbia, 
Maryland, and Virginia--have made their administrative changes, but 
these changes need to be confirmed by this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Comstock for her leadership with this joint 
resolution, and I ask that the entire body approve it
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to, again, commend Mrs. 
Comstock for her leadership on this legislation. I thank all of our 
fellow members in the regional delegation in Maryland, Virginia, and 
the District of Columbia for their collaborative work on this issue, 
and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte for facilitating the 
resolution's consideration by both the committee and the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this fine 
legislation.
  I thank everybody for their good work, and I yield back the balance 
of my time
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 92.
  This Resolution would grant Congress' consent to certain amendments 
to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact 
Authority pursuant to legislation enacted by the District of Columbia, 
Maryland, and Virginia, respectively.
  Congress originally consented to this Compact in 1960 and--from time-
to-time--the Compact has been amended with Congress' consent, as 
needed.
  The current necessity for H.J. Res. 92 is prompted by the enactment 
of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015.
  In pertinent part, this Act gave sole authority to the Secretary of 
Transportation to appoint federal directors to the board of directors 
of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact.
  To implement this directive, each of the Compact participants had to 
enact legislation amending the Compact.
  H.J. Res. 92 grants Congress' consent to these amendments to the 
Compact as approved by each of the participating states and the 
District of Columbia.
  This bipartisan measure, which effectuates Congress' directive of 
2015, is cosponsored by all of the Congressional Members representing 
jurisdictions affected by the Metrorail system.
  I support this commonsense measure and I urge its swift passage. I 
commend Representative Comstock for her leadership on this important 
legislation and I thank House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte for 
facilitating its timely consideration by both the Committee and the 
House.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I support H.J. Res. 92 granting consent 
and approval from Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State 
of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to amend the Washington Area 
Transit Regulation Compact.
  As Houston is a major transportation hub, I understand and appreciate 
the importance of this legislation.
  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), an 
interstate compact agency, provides transportation services to millions 
of people each year.
  It is imperative that the WMATA be safe and effective because it is 
essential to the commerce and prosperity of the National Capitol 
Region.
  The District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the State 
of Maryland intend to create the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission 
to act as the state safety oversight authority for the WMATA system 
under 49 U.S.C. 5329.
  In title III of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act 
(section 3026, Public Law 114-94), the Congress provided sole authority 
to the Secretary of Transportation to appoint Federal Directors to the 
Board of Directors of

[[Page H5894]]

the WMATA and required the signatory parties to the Compact to amend 
the Compact as necessary.
  This compact is created for the benefit of the people of the District 
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the State of Maryland so 
that there may be an increase in their safety, commerce, and 
prosperity.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.J. Res. 92
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 92.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________