Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act

The Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review three water commissions—the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Interstate Commission on the Potomac. The review looks at their ethics rules, how they share information with the public, what federal work they do, where their funding comes from, whether their duties overlap with other federal agencies, and how they report their activities. After the review, GAO must give Congress a report with findings and recommendations to improve transparency and oversight.

GAO must start the review within one year after the law takes effect. Then, within 90 days of GAO’s report—and every year for five years—each commission must send Congress a plan showing how it is carrying out GAO’s recommendations.

• Who is affected: The Susquehanna, Delaware, and Potomac river basin commissions, and the communities they serve.
• What changes: An independent review of ethics, public communication, funding, and possible overlap with other federal work; required plans to follow through on improvements.
• When: GAO starts within 1 year; commissions submit follow-up plans within 90 days of the GAO report and annually for 5 years.