U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) on Monday introduced legislation to make urgently needed reforms to the national capital area’s rapid transit system that will better serve daily commuters essential to building the regional economy, including federal workers serving American taxpayers and visitors from around the world.
According to Comstock, the Metro Efficiency, Transparency, Reliability, Oversight, Accountability and Reform Act would provide substantial new funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). However, that funding would be conditioned on Metro making critical changes enabling the system to meet typical benchmarks used in “a functional mass transit system.”
“Years of deferred maintenance, increasing budget deficits and decreasing ridership on Metro threatens the safety and reliability of the system,” Comstock said. “Without significant reforms, the system will continue to decline and lose ridership and fail the nation’s capital, which needs this vital system for the vitality of our local and national economy. The riders who use the system and the taxpayers who help support it deserve much better.”
In developing the bill, the METRO Accountability and Reform Act for short, Comstock collaborated with current and former federal transportation secretaries, Metro whistleblowers, former Washington Mayor Anthony Williams, and current Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld. She also tapped the expertise of key figures involved in Boston’s successful transit system turnaround.
Comstock’s bill would reduce the system’s use of overtime, follow the current system manager’s recommendation to move employees from a pension system to a 401(k), and control contract increases, her office said. A Metro Reform Board would be established as an interim governing body as near-term changes are made, and whistleblower protections would be established. A Metro Reform Commission would be created as an advisory group charged with informing Congress and critical stakeholders informed on reform progress, among other responsibilities.
Regional organizations applauded Comstock’s bill. Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Chair Harry Klaff said, “Implementing meaningful operational and governance reforms along with committing dedicated, sustainable funding is the most important challenge facing our region. This bill combines new federal investment with common sense reforms that are consistent with the recommendations of the business community and experts in the transportation field, including those of former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.”
The Metro Reform Coalition said in a statement it supports Rep. Comstock’s bill, including the establishment of a more effective reform board and the request for urgently needed federal funding.
“We strongly believe that comprehensive reform to Metro’s governance and funding will lead to operational improvement across the system,” the coalition said.
Comstock added, “Metro is a system in crisis and we need serious reforms to move our region forward and provide the public with a safe and efficient transit system. Everyday we see delays and incidents that affect our entire region, and this bill will put Metro on a path to fixing the systemic issues that plague riders every day.”