Virginia HB 843

Potomac River Compact; Potomac River Fisheries Commission; appointment of members. Amends the Potomac River Compact (the Compact) with the State of Maryland to require the Governor of Virginia to appoint three at-large members of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (the Commission). The bill also provides that the fourth member from Virginia shall be the Commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). Currently, three such members are members of the VMRC and one such member is appointed by the Governor of Virginia. The bill provides that any Virginia member of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission who is a member of the VMRC shall be permitted to carry out the remainder of his term and directs the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, no later than October 1, 2026, to notify the Senate President and the House Speaker of the Maryland General Assembly in writing that the Commonwealth of Virginia has confirmed and ratified an amendment to the Compact and requests that the Maryland General Assembly confirm and ratify the same pursuant to the Compact. The bill will become effective upon the confirmation and ratification of a law of the Maryland General Assembly providing consent to the amendments made to the Compact in the bill.