SENATE DOCKET, NO. 630        FILED ON: 2/3/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2258

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Joseph A. Boncore

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to variable pricing e-tolling.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 630        FILED ON: 2/3/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2258

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2033 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to variable pricing e-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 13 of chapter 6C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(d) The department shall design and implement a state wide program for charging toll rates that are different depending on time of day, with the goal of relieving congestion for motorists. The program shall be based on variable pricing, including a discount structure including off-peak discounts of at least 25 per cent and peak premiums of at most 25 per cent. Only vehicles with transponders issued by the commonwealth shall be eligible for discounts.  Provided further that the program shall commence no later than December 31, 2022. The department shall transmit an annual report to the clerks of the house and senate detailing the scope of the program, implementation challenges, lessons learned, and proposed next steps to use tolling policies as a means to alleviate congestion on roadways.