Transportation; amends numerous laws related to funds, safety programs, revenue sources, etc. (HB1414)

Introduced By

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax Station) with support from co-patrons Del. Jay Jones (D-Norfolk), Del. Delores McQuinn (D-Richmond), and Del. Vivian Watts (D-Annandale)

Description

Transportation. Amends numerous laws related to transportation funds, revenue sources, construction, and safety programs. The bill adopts numerous structural changes to the transportation funding system in the Commonwealth. Most transportation revenues are directed to a new Commonwealth Transportation Fund and the existing Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund. Funds are then disbursed, based on codified formulas, to subfunds established to meet the varying transportation needs of different modes of transportation. The existing gas tax based on a percentage of the wholesale price of gasoline and diesel fuel is converted to a cents-per-gallon tax. A rate of $0.262 per gallon of gasoline will be phased in over two years, and then indexed every year thereafter. The regional gas tax will be converted to a rate of $0.076 per gallon of gasoline and will be imposed everywhere in the Commonwealth that a regional gas tax is not already imposed. Registration fees for motor vehicles will be lowered. The Department of Motor Vehicles will implement a Highway Use Fee for alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles. Alternatively, a person whose vehicles would be subject to this new fee may elect to instead enroll in a mileage-based user fee program to be developed by the Department. The bill also eliminates the $5 walk-in fee for conducting certain transactions in person at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and prohibits a person from being issued a citation for both an expired motor vehicle inspection sticker and faulty equipment. In Northern Virginia, the regional transportation improvement fee, used to support the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), is lowered to $0.10 per $100 for the recordation of conveyance of a deed. A new regional congestion fee is imposed at a rate of $0.10 per $100 for the recordation of conveyance of a deed. The regional transient occupancy tax is raised from two percent to three percent. The bill authorizes the use of transportation bonds to complete the final section of Corridor Q of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and authorizes a bond issuance for improvements in the Interstate 81 and Interstate 66 corridors. The bill establishes a new Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. The bill also creates numerous new transportation safety programs, including an Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program, a Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program, the Statewide Special Structures Program, and a Transit Incentive Program. This bill incorporates HB 16 and HB 1538 and is identical to SB 890. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History