Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act
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The bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to review the ethics policies, public communication practices, and funding of three interstate river basin commissions covering the Mid-Atlantic region, and to report findings and recommendations to Congress.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would require the Comptroller General to begin, within one year of enactment, a review of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. The review would cover each commission's ethics policies, public communication practices, federal responsibilities, funding sources, potential duplication with other federal authorities, and reporting practices. GAO would then submit a report with findings and recommendations to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Within 90 days of that report, and annually for five years after, each commission would have to submit a compliance plan to the same congressional committees describing actions taken to address GAO's recommendations. The bill does not itself change the commissions' authority, funding, or governance.
Key provisions
- 1Would require GAO to initiate, within one year of enactment, a review of the three Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions
- 2Would require the review to cover ethics policies, public communication practices, federal responsibilities, funding sources, duplicative duties, and reporting practices
- 3Would require GAO to submit a report with findings and recommendations to specified House and Senate committees
- 4Would require each commission to submit a compliance plan within 90 days of the GAO report, and annually for five years thereafter
Who would be affected
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, along with the Government Accountability Office and the congressional committees that would receive the resulting reports and compliance plans.
Why it matters
The review could surface ethics, transparency, or funding concerns at these interstate compact commissions and generate recommendations for tighter congressional oversight. The five years of mandatory compliance plans would create an ongoing accountability mechanism, though the bill itself does not mandate any specific reform.
What would change
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- GAO must initiate the review of the commissions
- Each commission's first compliance plan submission after the GAO report
- Subsequent commission compliance plan submissions
How implementation would work
GAO must initiate its review within one year of enactment, examining six specified areas at each commission, then report findings and recommendations to two named congressional committees. Starting 90 days after that report and continuing annually for five years, each commission must independently submit a compliance plan to the same committees describing steps taken to address the recommendations, creating a recurring oversight cycle without new enforcement authority.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Official CRS summary
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This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review and report on the ethics policies, practices used to communicate with the public, and funding of the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions. These commissions are the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.
The GAO must submit a report to Congress on (1) the findings of the review, and (2) any recommendations to increase the transparency or congressional oversight of the commissions.
Within 90 days of the GAO submitting its report, and annually thereafter for five years, each commission must submit to Congress a plan detailing actions the commission has taken to comply with the recommendations contained in the GAO's report.
Legislative subjects
Congressional oversight; Delaware; District of Columbia; Government studies and investigations; Lakes and rivers; Maryland; New Jersey; New York State; Pennsylvania; Virginia; Water Resources Development; Water resources funding; West Virginia
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-241