By Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Maryland's U.S. senators introduced legislation yesterday that would provide $1.5 billion over 10 years in dedicated funding for Metro provided that the District, Maryland and Virginia together guarantee to match that amount.

The bill, which would help rehabilitate the system's aging trains, tracks and buses, was introduced by Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D) and was co-sponsored by Virginia's two senators -- John W. Warner (R) and James Webb (D). A similar bill has passed a House of Representatives panel.

More than 40 percent of Metro's rush-hour riders are federal government employees, and agency advocates say federal lawmakers should recognize the role the system plays in keeping the government working.

Virginia and the District have approved the matching funds required by the bill. Maryland lawmakers have not acted, but Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) says the state's transportation trust fund qualifies as a dedicated source of revenue for Metro. Regardless, he has said the state will do whatever is needed to access the federal dollars.

Last year, a Metro funding measure sponsored by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) passed the full House, but the Senate never acted on it.

The House bill has two amendments related to overtime pay for Metro employees, even though Congress typically does not intervene in collective bargaining agreements.

One amendment would limit employees' overtime pay to one-third of regular wages in a given pay period. The other would exclude overtime pay from pension calculations, except as allowed for in collective bargaining agreements. About 8,000 of Metro's 10,000-plus employees are represented by unions.