[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 694 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 694
To amend the Passenger Rail Investment Improvement Act of 2008 to
prohibit certain funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority until certain conditions are met, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 2, 2021
Mr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Hoyer, Ms. Norton, Mr. Beyer, Ms.
Wexton, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Brown, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Trone) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Passenger Rail Investment Improvement Act of 2008 to
prohibit certain funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority until certain conditions are met, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Metro Accountability and Investment
Act''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION FOR CAPITAL AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROJECTS
FOR WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY.
Section 601 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of
2008 (Public Law 110-432) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b) by striking ``The Federal'' and
inserting ``Except as provided in subsection (f)(2), the
Federal'';
(2) by striking subsections (d) through (f) and inserting
the following:
``(d) Required Board Approval.--No amounts may be provided to the
Transit Authority under this section until the Transit Authority
certifies to the Secretary of Transportation that--
``(1) a board resolution has passed on or before July 1,
2021, and is in effect for the period of July 1, 2022, through
June 30, 2031, that--
``(A) establishes an independent budget authority
for the Office of Inspector General of the Transit
Authority;
``(B) establishes an independent procurement
authority for the Office of Inspector General of the
Transit Authority;
``(C) establishes an independent hiring authority
for the Office of Inspector General of the Transit
Authority;
``(D) ensures the Inspector General of the Transit
Authority can obtain legal advice from a counsel
reporting directly to the Inspector General;
``(E) requires the Inspector General of the Transit
Authority to submit recommendations for corrective
action to the General Manager and the Board of
Directors of the Transit Authority;
``(F) requires the Inspector General of the Transit
Authority to publish any recommendation described in
subparagraph (E) on the website of the Office of
Inspector General of the Transit Authority, except that
the Inspector General may redact personally
identifiable information and information that, in the
determination of the Inspector General, would pose a
security risk to the systems of the Transit Authority;
``(G) requires the Board of Directors of the
Transit Authority to provide written notice to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate not less than
30 days before the Board of Directors removes the
Inspector General of the Transit Authority, which shall
include the reasons for removal and supporting
documentation; and
``(H) prohibits the Board of Directors from
removing the Inspector General of the Transit Authority
unless the Board of Directors has provided a 30-day
written notification as described in subparagraph (G)
that documents--
``(i) a permanent incapacity;
``(ii) a neglect of duty;
``(iii) malfeasance;
``(iv) a conviction of a felony or conduct
involving moral turpitude;
``(v) a knowing violation of a law or
regulation;
``(vi) gross mismanagement;
``(vii) a gross waste of funds;
``(viii) an abuse of authority; or
``(ix) inefficiency; and
``(2) the Code of Ethics for Members of the WMATA Board of
Directors passed on September 26, 2019, remains in effect, or
the Inspector General of the Transit Authority has been
consulted on any modifications to the Code of Ethics by the
Board.
``(e) Authorizations.--
``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
to the Secretary of Transportation for grants under this
section--
``(A) for fiscal year 2022, $150,000,000;
``(B) for fiscal year 2023, $155,000,000;
``(C) for fiscal year 2024, $160,000,000;
``(D) for fiscal year 2025, $165,000,000;
``(E) for fiscal year 2026, $170,000,000;
``(F) for fiscal year 2027, $175,000,000;
``(G) for fiscal year 2028, $180,000,000;
``(H) for fiscal year 2029, $185,000,000;
``(I) for fiscal year 2030, $190,000,000; and
``(J) for fiscal year 2031, $200,000,000.
``(2) Set aside for office of inspector general of transit
authority.--From the amounts in paragraph (1), the Transit
Authority shall provide at least 7 percent for each fiscal year
to the Office of Inspector General of the Transit Authority to
carry out independent and objective audits, investigations, and
reviews of Transit Authority programs and operations to promote
economy, efficiency, and effectiveness, and to prevent and
detect fraud, waste, and abuse in such programs and
operations.''; and
(3) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
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