I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2688
To reduce traffic congestion, promote economic development, and improve
the quality of life in the metropolitan Washington region.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 3, 1999
Mr. MORAN of Virginia (for himself and Ms. NORTON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
A BILL
To reduce traffic congestion, promote economic development,
and improve the quality of life in the metropolitan Wash-
ington region.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Metropolitan Wash-
ington Regional Transportation Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) congestion is a serious problem in the met-
ropolitan Washington region, as evidenced by recent
studies that have found that only the city of Los An-
geles is more congested and that congestion costs
each man, woman, and child in the region more than
$800 per year in lost time, wasted fuel, and environ-
mental damage;
(2) in the past, regional leaders have success-
fully worked together to address important transpor-
tation needs, through such institutions as the Metro-
politan Washington Airports Authority, the Wash-
ington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and the
National Capital Region Transportation Planning
Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments;
(3) even greater regional cooperation is needed
to prevent congestion in the metropolitan Wash-
ington region from worsening, in light of predictions
that, for the period of 1990 through 2020, there will
be a 43 percent increase in population, a 43 percent
increase in employment, and a 79 percent increase
in vehicle miles traveled, in the region;
(4) while transportation needs will grow signifi-
cantly over the next decades, spending is expected to
fall short of transportation needs by more than
$500,000,000 per year, even with expected increases
in Federal and State spending;
(5) none of the existing metropolitan-wide
transportation agencies within the metropolitan
Washington region has the necessary powers, au-
thorities, and resources to meet the current and fu-
ture transportation needs of the region;
(6) the failure to meet the transportation needs
of the metropolitan Washington region will under-
mine the quality of life of the residents of the region,
degrade the natural environment, and adversely af-
fect the ability of Federal agencies and private sec-
tor businesses to operate effectively and efficiently;
(7) the transportation challenges faced by the
metropolitan Washington region are unique and de-
serve the attention of Congress because of the pres-
ence of the Federal Government within the region
and because of the intersection of 3 jurisdictions,
consisting of 2 States and the District of Columbia,
within a single metropolitan area;
(8) the National Capital Region Transportation
Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments, the designated metropolitan
planning organization for planning and program-
ming Federal transit and highway funds provided to
the metropolitan Washington region, is updating the
long-range plan for the region to meet transpor-
tation needs in the coming decades; and
(9) with Federal assistance, the Board can
more effectively promote regional agreement on how
to finance and implement its long-range plan to
meet the transportation needs of the metropolitan
Washington region.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to provide a new option to help the metro-
politan Washington region more effectively address
its transportation needs;
(2) to empower the National Capital Region
Transportation Planning Board to consult with the
metropolitan Washington region jurisdictions and
the public to achieve consensus on a list of critical
transportation projects and a funding mechanism
that are needed to address the growing congestion
crisis in the region but cannot be funded within the
current and forecasted Federal, State, and local
funding levels for such projects;
(3) to establish a Corporation with the power to
accept revenue and issue debt to provide funding for
projects that have been agreed to by the region;
(4) to grant consent to the metropolitan Wash-
ington region jurisdictions to enter into an interstate
compact or agreement that would help meet the re-
gion’s long-term transportation needs; and
(5) to provide Federal matching grants to the
region to promote consensus on a regional funding
mechanism.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Na-
tional Capital Region Transportation Planning
Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments.
(2) CORPORATION.—The term ‘‘Corporation’’
means 
the 
Metropolitan 
Washington 
Regional
Transportation Corporation established by section
6(a).
(3) METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON REGION; RE-
GION.—The term ‘‘metropolitan Washington region’’
or ‘‘region’’ means the area that is—
(A) located in the area including and sur-
rounding Washington, District of Columbia;
and
(B) under the jurisdiction of the members
of the Board.
(4) METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON REGION JU-
RISDICTION.—The term ‘‘metropolitan Washington
region jurisdiction’’ means a jurisdiction represented
by a member of the Board.
(5) PROJECT.—The term ‘‘project’’ means any
effort to reduce traffic congestion or improve travel
options in the metropolitan Washington region,
including—
(A) the design, construction, and mainte-
nance of facilities or services;
(B) the operation of such facilities;
(C) the provision of services;
(D) the deployment of demand reduction
and traffic management measures; and
(E) any effort to improve coordination of
transportation planning and land use planning.
(6) SIGNATORY.—The term ‘‘signatory’’ means
a metropolitan Washington region jurisdiction that
enters into an interstate compact or agreement
under section 5(d).
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE BOARD.
(a) DUTIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall—
(A)(i) propose a list of priority transpor-
tation projects that—
(I) are needed to address the growing
congestion crisis in the metropolitan Wash-
ington region; and
(II) cannot be funded with Federal,
State, and local transportation funds that
are projected to be made available for the
metropolitan Washington region;
(ii) propose a regional funding mechanism
to fund the needed projects; and
(iii) manage the Corporation to provide
funding for regional transportation projects;
(B) provide notice and opportunity for
comment on its efforts under this Act by metro-
politan Washington region jurisdictions and the
public;
(C) conduct outreach and education activi-
ties to promote public participation;
(D) promote cooperative action by metro-
politan Washington region jurisdictions on re-
gional transportation issues; and
(E) if necessary, assist metropolitan Wash-
ington region jurisdictions in developing an
interstate compact or agreement to better meet
regional transportation needs.
(2) LIMITATIONS.—The Board shall not have
the power to—
(A) impose a tax; or
(B) preempt any Federal, State, or local
law (including a regulation).
(b) BOARD SUPPORT.—The Board shall use staff of
the Board and may employ such additional personnel and
agents as are necessary to carry out this Act, including
public outreach staff to meet the public participation re-
quirements of titles 23 and 49, United States Code.
(c) TIMETABLE.—The Board shall—
(1) develop and publish a first draft proposal
listing regional projects and regional funding mecha-
nisms not later than 210 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act;
(2) provide an opportunity for public comment
on the first draft proposal during the period begin-
ning on the date of publication of the first draft pro-
posal and ending not earlier than 90 days after that
date; and
(3) not later than 2 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act, develop and publish a final pro-
posal; and
(4) prior to implementation of any regional
project or regional funding mechanism included in
the final proposal, obtain approval of the final pro-
posal from—
(A) the Governor of the State of Virginia;
(B) the Governor of the State of Maryland;
and
(C) the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
(d) INTERSTATE COMPACT OR AGREEMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2),
Congress grants consent to 1 or more of the metro-
politan Washington region jurisdictions to enter into
an interstate compact or agreement to finance and
implement 1 or more of the priority projects from
the long-range plan of the Board, if consent is
granted by—
(A) the Governor of each State that enters
into the compact or agreement; and
(B) if the District of Columbia enters into
the compact or agreement, the Mayor of the
District of Columbia.
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The interstate compact
or agreement shall—
(A) include a list of regional transportation
projects and a regional funding mechanism to
fund the projects; and
(B) include a time limit of not more than
2 years for approval by the metropolitan Wash-
ington region jurisdictions.
(e) PLANNING PROCESS.—In carrying out this Act,
the Board shall—
(1) comply with the planning requirements of
titles 23 and 49, United States Code; and
(2)(A) ensure that the public has a full oppor-
tunity to participate in the planning process; and
(B) work with citizen advisory committees rep-
resenting all points of view, including business, envi-
ronmental, transportation, senior citizens, youth,
disabled, and neighborhood associations.
SEC. 6. IMPLEMENTATION OF LONG-RANGE PLAN FOR THE
METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON REGION.
(a) METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON REGIONAL TRANS-
PORTATION CORPORATION.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the
Metropolitan Washington Regional Transportation
Corporation.
(2) GENERAL POWERS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall
be a body corporate and politic, and an instru-
mentality of the Board, having the powers and
jurisdiction described in this Act and such addi-
tional powers as are conferred on the Corpora-
tion by the Board, to the extent that the addi-
tional powers are consistent with this Act.
(B) ADMINISTRATION.—The Corporation
shall be governed in accordance with this Act
and shall be subject to such other provisions as
the Board determines to be appropriate.
(3) GENERAL LIMITATIONS.—The Corporation
shall not have the power to—
(A) impose a tax; or
(B) preempt any Federal, State, or local
law (including a regulation).
(4) DUTIES.—The Corporation shall assist in
the management of any initial funding and imple-
mentation plan agreed to by the signatories.
(5) PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY.—
(A) PUBLIC
NOTICE
AND
PARTICIPA-
TION.—The Corporation shall be subject to the
requirements of chapter 5 of title 5, United
States Code, concerning public notice of, and
participation at, all meetings of the Corpora-
tion.
(B) FREEDOM
OF
INFORMATION
ACT.—
The Corporation shall be considered to be an
agency for the purpose of compliance with re-