Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRETT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3428) to require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a review of the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3428

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 ``Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act''. SEC. 2. MID-ATLANTIC RIVER BASIN COMMISSIONS.

(a) GAO Report.--

(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall initiate a review of the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions.

(2) Requirements.--In conducting the review under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall--

(A) review the ethics policies and practices of each Mid- Atlantic River Basin Commission;

(B) review the practices each Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission uses to communicate with the general public;

(C) review current Federal responsibilities at each Mid- Atlantic River Basin Commission, including the types of actions taken by relevant Federal agencies in carrying out such responsibilities;

(D) describe the level and sources of Federal and State funding received by each Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission;

(E) identify duties and responsibilities of each Mid- Atlantic River Basin Commission that may be duplicative of, or overlap with, other Federal authorities; and

(F) review policies and best practices of each Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission for reporting activities of the Commission.

(3) Report.--Upon completion of the review conducted under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report containing--

(A) the findings of such review; and

(B) any recommendations, including any recommendations for statutory or administrative changes or changes to ethics policies and practices, to increase the transparency or congressional oversight of the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions.

(b) Plan for Compliance.--Not later than 90 days after the Comptroller General submits the report required under subsection (a)(3), and annually thereafter for five years, each Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a plan detailing actions such Commission has taken to comply with the recommendations contained in such report.

(c) Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission Defined.--In this section, the term ``Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commission'' means--

(1) the Susquehanna River Basin Commission created by the Susquehanna River Basin Compact to which consent was given by Public Law 91-575 (84 Stat. 1509);

(2) the Delaware River Basin Commission created by the Delaware River Basin Compact to which consent was given by Public Law 87-328 (75 Stat. 688); and

(3) the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin created by the Potomac River Basin Compact to which consent was given by Public Law 91-407 (84 Stat. 856).

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Mr. BARRETT. 3428.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bresnahan), for his hard work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions, for the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Potomac Rivers, came into existence before the creation of the EPA and mandated Federal involvement in the commissions.

H.R. 3428 is a good government bill that directs the GAO to review the ethics, practices, funding, and Federal responsibilities of the commissions.

Congress has a duty to conduct oversight of these commissions, and I thank Mr. Bresnahan for ensuring that we fulfill that role.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3428, the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act, is legislation that will ensure important rivers in our communities have proper oversight and utilize taxpayer resources to carry out their missions responsibly.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill and yield back the balance of my time.

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