WMATA Governance Reform Act

This bill prohibits the government from approving an amendment to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Compact unless its signatories (the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) certify that after implementation of the amended compact each signatory will appoint an absolute majority of the Board of Directors of the Authority that includes one or more of the following:

• a certified transit expert who has served in a senior executive capacity, or the equivalent, of a U.S. transit authority;
• a certified management expert who is currently serving, or has served for five or more years, in a capacity managing more than 1,000 full-time employees of a nonprofit entity or a corporation, partnership, or limited liability entity that is engaged primarily in operating activities and not investing activities;
• a certified financial expert who meets the standards of an audit committee financial expert under New York Stock Exchange rules; or
• a certified safety expert who has at least five years of experience as a chairman, director, senior investigator or equivalent position of a U.S. transportation or transit safety board.

If a signatory appoints an individual who does not meet such qualifications, it shall provide the Board with an explanation of the individual's qualifications and why such qualifications will be beneficial to the Board.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall ensure that the next three federal appointments to the Board and an absolute majority thereafter have such qualifications and include appointees who reflect the diversity of the communities in the region served. If DOT appoints an individual who does not meet such qualifications, it shall provide the Board with an explanation.