[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 92 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 28, 2017
Mrs. Comstock (for herself, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Brown of
Maryland, Mr. Delaney, Ms. Norton, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Hoyer) submitted
the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
JOINT RESOLUTION
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.
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.
<all>