Legislation Details

Reference No. LTR 09102019a    Draft No. 1
Type: Agenda Letter Status: Approved
Meeting Body County Council
Meeting Date 9/10/2019
Introduced Date Public Hearing Date
Effective date:    
Title: Joint Signature Letter to The Honorable Chris Van Hollen and The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senate and The Honorable Anthony G. Brown and The Honorable Steny H. Hoyer, United States House of Representatives, in support of Congressional reauthorization of Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008, which is set to expire on September 30th this year, provides $150 million annually to WMATA for capital programs.
Proposers/Sponsors: Todd M. Turner
Attachments: 1. PRIIA Letter to Senators Van Hollen & Cardin, 2. PRIIA Letter to Representatives Brown & Hoyer, 3. COG Board Presentation - WMATA PRIIA Reauthorization
Contact: J. Kenneth Battle, Jr., TIEE Committee Director

Title

Joint Signature Letter to The Honorable Chris Van Hollen and The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senate and The Honorable Anthony G. Brown and The Honorable Steny H. Hoyer, United States House of Representatives, in support of Congressional reauthorization of Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008, which is set to expire on September 30th this year, provides $150 million annually to WMATA for capital programs.

 

Background

The federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), providing $1.5 billion over a ten-year period with equal contributions from the Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia governments, is set to expire in September of 2019.  Senator Mark Warner  (D-VA) and Representative Gerald Connolly (D-VA) have sponsored legislation (S.1663 and H.R.2520, respectively) to extend the existing funding commitment ($150 million per year) for an additional 10 years (fiscal years 2020 through 2029) as well as an additional $50 million per year for the same 10-year period ($500 million total) for capital and preventive maintenance projects approved by the WMATA Board of Directors.  The following members of the Metropolitan Congressional delegation have joined as co-sponsors: Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen; Virgina Senator Tim Kaine; Maryland Representatives Steny Hoyer, Paul Sarbanes, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone; Virgina Representatives Don Beyer and Jennifer Wexton; and District of Columbia Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton.  The legislation has been referred to the Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.