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2001 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 526
Continuing the Virginia-Maryland-District of Columbia Joint Legislative Commission on Interstate Transportation.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 6, 2001
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 2001

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 154 (2000) established a joint legislative commission on Interstate Transportation to meet with legislators from the State of Maryland and representatives of the District of Columbia to advise the General Assembly and the Governor on efforts to address interstate transportation issues in the Metropolitan Washington Region; and

WHEREAS, the considerable size of this panel, the unprecedented nature of its mandate, the sensitivity and complexity of the many challenges involved, and the very considerable cost associated with virtually every attempt to meet those challenges have all combined to make the work of the Commission very time consuming; and

WHEREAS, the Commission was, in fact, able to conduct only two meetings in the course of 2000, one of them an introductory and organizational meeting and the other a fact-finding tour combined with planning for future meetings; and

WHEREAS, however cumbersome and time-consuming this process may be, the need for interjurisdictional dialogue aimed at comprehensive, creative, regional solutions to the area's many and vexing transportation difficulties is so urgent, and the possible benefits from such interjurisdictional cooperation are so valuable, that a long-term commitment by the Commonwealth to the process is amply justified; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Virginia-Maryland-District of Columbia Joint Legislative Commission on Interstate Transportation be continued. The Commission shall consist of 13 members as follows: 7 members of the House of Delegates, of whom 2 shall be members of the House Committee on Transportation, 2 shall be members of the House Committee on Appropriations, and 2 shall be members of the House Committee on Finance to be appointed by the Speaker of the House in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; and 5 members of the Senate, of whom 2 shall be members of the Senate Committee on Transportation and 2 shall be members of the Senate Committee on Finance to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; and the Secretary of Transportation. To maintain parity, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections shall appoint additional members of the General Assembly to the Virginia delegation to the joint legislative commission to equal the total number of members of the Maryland delegation whenever such delegation may be increased. Such additional appointments to the Virginia delegation shall be made in a manner mutually agreed to by the Speaker of the House and the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections.

The President of the Maryland State Senate and the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates are requested to appoint an equal number of representatives from their respective chambers, in accordance with the appointment procedures of the respective chambers of the General Assembly of Maryland, to serve on the Commission. The Mayor of the District of Columbia is requested to designate an appropriate Cabinet or Department official to represent the Mayor's office to serve on the Commission. The chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia is requested to designate two members of Council to serve on the Commission. The Commission shall elect two co-chairmen from among its members, one each from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $25,000, representing the costs for two additional years. However, no public funds shall be expended for this study until the Maryland delegation to the joint legislative commission has been organized.

The Commission shall complete its work in time to submit its written findings and recommendations by November 30, 2002, to the Governor and the 2003 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.