On the recordNovember 3, 2015
I thank the chairman. I would like to reiterate my thanks to the chairman and to everyone on the committee for working with so many Members on this bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization, which is very important legislation. Mr. Chairman, included in this bill is a provision that is vital not only to the entire national capital region but also to my district. It contains the text of the Protect Riders of Metrorail Public Transportation Act, which is the product of collaborative efforts between Ms. Norton, Ms. Edwards of Maryland, and me. The language facilitates a necessary change to the safety oversight structure of the Washington Metrorail system in the wake of recent accidents and incidents, safety problems, and problems in the reliability of the system. It does so by reinforcing and expanding the authority of the Secretary to use the Federal Transit Administration to directly oversee Metro and to provide safety and reliability to our commuters. Our Metro is the second busiest transit system in the country, and it must be the gold standard in safety as well as in reliability because it serves our entire Federal workforce as well as our many visitors to this important national capital region. The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
