H. Res. 808 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
November 13, 2007. 
Whereas, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Govern-
ments is an independent, nonprofit organization, founded 
in 1957, and comprised of elected officials from 21 local 
governments of the District of Columbia, suburban Mary-
land, and Northern Virginia, plus area members of the 
Maryland and Virginia legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and 
the U.S. House of Representatives; 
Whereas in April 1957 forty officials from Washington area 
jurisdictions voluntarily gathered to establish an organi-
zation where they could exchange ideas and work to-
gether on regional issues such as transportation, the envi-
ronment, and public safety; this organization became the 
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; 
Whereas during the past half century COG’s activities have 
touched every aspect of the life of the citizens of the Na-
tional Capital Region and have improved the quality of 
life for all residents; 
Whereas COG has facilitated the development of effective re-
sponses to such issues as the environment, affordable 
housing, economic development, human services, land use 
development, public safety and emergency response, and 
transportation that have had a profound and positive im-
pact on the National Capital Region;
•HRES 808 EH 
Whereas these responses include galvanizing the region’s re-
sponse to the September 11th attacks and the ongoing 
emergency preparedness programs, cleaning up of the Po-
tomac River, spearheading a number of regional health 
programs including one of the nation’s first regional con-
ferences on AIDS, creating the region’s express bus lane 
system, reducing air pollution through a model law and 
establishing the region’s daily air quality index, and 
founding the Foster and Adoptive Families program for 
vulnerable children and teenagers; 
Whereas COG has served as the Metropolitan Planning Orga-
nization guiding the region’s transportation planning in 
partnership with the state and local departments of 
transportation since the 1960s and has served as key ad-
vocate for increased funding for the region’s transpor-
tation needs; 
Whereas COG’s air quality committee created by the State of 
Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Dis-
trict of Columbia, has worked successfully to reduce pol-
lutants in the region’s air; 
Whereas COG has worked with area governments and law en-
forcement and emergency response officials to improve 
public safety response and coordination for over four dec-
ades, starting with the ‘‘mutual aid agreements’’ that 
began with the opening of the Wilson Bridge in 1962 and 
continuing to the present with homeland security plan-
ning and initiatives such as the regional pawnshop data-
base that has helped recover millions of dollars of stolen 
property; and 
Whereas COG managed a Federal pilot program to provide 
treatment and support services to women who abused al-
cohol and drugs, and currently works with area health of-
•HRES 808 EH 
ficials to improve the region’s emergency preparedness by 
developing a disease and syndromic surveillance system: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the United States House of Representa-
tives does hereby offers its sincerest congratulations to the 
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in recogni-
tion of its 50th Anniversary and its legacy of outstanding 
service to the governments and citizens of greater Wash-
ington, D.C. metropolitan region and expresses its apprecia-
tion for a job well done. 
Attest: 
Clerk.