SECTION 13. Eligibility to become compacting state; effective date and amendment of compact

(a) Any state, the District of Columbia, or its designee, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas Islands as defined in section 2 shall be eligible to become a compacting state.

(b) The compact shall become effective and binding upon legislative enactment of the compact into law by not less than 35 of the states. The initial effective date shall be the later of July 1, 2004 or upon enactment into law by the thirty-fifth jurisdiction. Thereafter, it shall become effective and binding as to any other compacting state upon enactment of the compact into law by such state. The governors of non-member states or their designees shall be invited to participate in the activities of the interstate commission, on a non-voting basis, prior to adoption of the compact by all states and territories of the United States.

(c) The interstate commission may propose amendments to the compact for enactment by the compacting states. No amendment shall become effective and binding upon the interstate commission and the compacting states unless and until it is enacted into law by unanimous consent of the compacting states.