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Granting the consent and approval of Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to enter into a compact relating to the establishment of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.

Public Law 115-54 · H.J.Res. 76 · 115th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 22, 2017 · Transportation and Public Works

Sponsor: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD-5)

Cosponsors (8): Rep. Eleanor Norton,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 399 yea, 5 nay399–5
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Interstate Compact

(Sec. 1) This joint resolution grants congressional consent and approval for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the state of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to enter into a Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC) Interstate Compact.

The MSC Compact establishes a Washington Metrorail Safety Commission for the safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Rail (Metrorail) system.

The commission shall:

• distribute a written State Safety Oversight Program;

• enforce implementation of WMATA's Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, as well as audit triennially WMATA's compliance with such plan;

• enforce implementation of any Corrective Action Plans;

• enforce relevant federal and state laws and regulations relating to Metrorail safety;

• publish annually a Metrorail safety report, including updates of Corrective Action Plans, Commission directives, and on-going investigations; and

• publish annually a report on commission operations.

An independent annual audit shall be made of commission financial accounts.

Any signatory may withdraw from the MSC Compact, which shall constitute its termination.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 399 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

399 yea5 nay29 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(178)

Republicans who voted yea(221)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 380 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee
Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.Res. 469Related bill

    Requesting the Senate to return to the House of Representatives House Joint Resolution 76.

  • S.J.Res. 22Related bill

    A joint resolution granting the consent and approval of Congress to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to enter into a compact relating to the establishment of the Washingt…

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.

  1. Aug 22, 2017Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  2. Aug 11, 2017FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  3. Aug 4, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  4. FloorFloor · Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.
  5. FloorFloor · ENGROSSMENT CORRECTION - Unanimous consent was granted for the Clerk to make changes in the engrossment of H.J.Res. 76 that was placed at the desk. Agreed to without objection.
  6. Aug 1, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  7. FloorFloor · Senate returned papers to House, per House request of July 24, 2017, by Unanimous Consent.
  8. Jul 24, 2017FloorFloor · House requested return of papers pursuant to H.Res. 469.
  9. Jul 18, 2017CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 176.
  10. Jul 17, 2017FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  11. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 399 - 5 (Roll no. 381).House roll call 381
  12. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  13. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  14. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.J. Res. 76.
  15. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  16. FloorFloor · Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the resolution, as amended.
  17. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 162.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 115-227.
  19. Jun 14, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  20. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law Discharged.
  22. Mar 9, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
  23. Feb 16, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  24. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.