Bill S.1931

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1478 FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1931

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act creating a special commission to study alternatives to road and bridge tolling..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. There shall be a special commission to investigate, study and evaluate all methods to improve the efficiency, affordability and sustainability of the commonwealth’s infrastructure tax collection system in an equitable manner. The commission shall address, but not be limited to, the application of distance dependent area pricing or per-mile user fees, open road tolling and other means of collecting taxes related to transportation infrastructure. The commission shall evaluate the available technologies, including but not limited to GPS units and other such devices; address the feasibility and cost of implementation of a new tax collection system, ease of use for drivers, applicability to out-of-state drivers, privacy concerns, pricing and all

The special commission shall consist of the secretary of the executive office of transportation and public works or his designee who shall serve as chairman; the commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department or her designee; the House and Senate chairs of the transportation committee; Executive Director of Massport or his designee. The commission will also include at least one member of the academic community with expertise in transportation systems, one member with expertise in transportation engineering and one member with expertise in transportation technologies and or financing. The special commission may consult with other government agencies, both federal and state, as well as members of the transportation community and the general public.

The special commission shall submit a report, including any draft recommendations or legislation to the House and Senate within 18 months of the day that this act is passed into law.