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2001 SESSION

014404400
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 397
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Rules
on February 19, 2001)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Barry)
Continuing the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Creation of a Northern Virginia Regional Transportation Authority.

WHEREAS, through the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 121, (2000), the General Assembly established the Joint Subcommittee to Study Creation of a Northern Virginia Regional Transportation Authority; and

WHEREAS, the business community in Northern Virginia and its more than one million employees are adversely affected by Northern Virginia's transportation problems; and

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia business community is actively engaged in seeking solutions to the region's transportation difficulties in order to improve the quality of life of its employees and foster the continued economic growth of the region; and

WHEREAS, in the early 1960s, Northern Virginia's planners accurately predicted Northern Virginia's population for the year 2000 and the mass transit programs and highway network that would be required to support that population; and

WHEREAS, while the population predictions were accurate and much of the planned mass transit infrastructure has been built, over 1,500 miles of planned highways and bridges have not been built; and

WHEREAS, Northern Virginia's residents are faced with ever-increasing traffic congestion, despite the region's being first in the nation in use of carpooling and second in the nation in use of mass transit; and

WHEREAS Northern Virginia's transit problems have assumed crisis dimensions; and

WHEREAS, in response to this crisis, the Northern Virginia business community has created a list of options and proposals collectively known as the Northern Virginia Transportation Compact; and

WHEREAS, although the joint subcommittee held five well-attended and informative meetings in the course of 2000, the complexity of the issues, the number and variety of jurisdictions affected, and the high cost and political sensitivity of possible recommendations have made it impossible for the joint subcommittee to complete its study within the time contemplated by SJR 121 of the 2000 Session; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Subcommittee to Study Creation of a Northern Virginia Regional Transportation Authority be continued. The joint subcommittee shall consist of 19 members, which shall include 10 legislative members and nine citizen members as follows: four members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; six members of the House of Delegates 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; three local elected officials, who shall represent Fairfax County, Arlington County, and Loudoun County, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections, upon the recommendation of the respective governing body of the locality; three local elected officials, who shall represent Stafford County, Prince William County, and the City of Alexandria, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, upon the recommendation of the respective governing body of the locality; one resident of Northern Virginia, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; and two residents of Northern Virginia, of whom one shall have expertise in transportation, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its objectives pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 121 (2000) and shall include in its deliberations an examination review of the desirability and feasibility of implementing the Northern Virginia Transportation Compact. The joint subcommittee shall recommend such administrative and legislative actions as it may deem necessary to satisfy its charge.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $13,000.

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

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its written findings and recommendations by November 30, 2001, to the Governor and the 2002 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.