HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3417        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3373

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Adrian C. Madaro

_________________

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 low income transit fares.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/20/2023

Samantha Montaño

15th Suffolk

1/25/2023

Steven Owens

29th Middlesex

1/25/2023

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Norfolk

1/25/2023

Kate Donaghue

19th Worcester

1/30/2023

Jon Santiago

9th Suffolk

2/13/2023

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

2/13/2023

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/13/2023

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/13/2023

Vanna Howard

17th Middlesex

2/13/2023

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

2/13/2023

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

2/15/2023

Peter Capano

11th Essex

2/15/2023

Christopher J. Worrell

5th Suffolk

2/21/2023

Daniel Cahill

10th Essex

2/21/2023

Kate Lipper-Garabedian

32nd Middlesex

2/24/2023

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

3/6/2023

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

3/15/2023

Russell E. Holmes

6th Suffolk

3/22/2023

Liz Miranda

Second Suffolk

3/22/2023

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

3/22/2023

Danillo A. Sena

37th Middlesex

3/22/2023

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

3/22/2023

Margaret R. Scarsdale

1st Middlesex

4/5/2023

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

4/14/2023

Christopher Hendricks

11th Bristol

4/21/2023

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex

7/6/2023

Patrick M. O'Connor

First Plymouth and Norfolk

10/11/2023

Judith A. Garcia

11th Suffolk

12/7/2023

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

12/7/2023

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

12/7/2023

Jessica Ann Giannino

16th Suffolk

12/7/2023

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

5/22/2024


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3417        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3373

By Representative Madaro of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3373) of Adrian C. Madaro and others for legislation to authorize discounted transit fares for low income riders.  Transportation.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

An Act relative to low income transit fares.

 

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. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in coordination with the secretary of health and human services, shall implement a low-income fare program that provides free or discounted transit fares to qualifying riders on all modes of transportation operated by the authority.

(b) In developing the low-income fare program, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall develop a stakeholder engagement plan and implementation analysis. The engagement plan shall ensure engagement with relevant stakeholders and provide opportunities for public input in geographically-diverse service areas of the authority. The analysis shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of: (i) the number of riders anticipated to benefit from the program; (ii) the average reductions of each fare, by mode; (iii) the overall impact on revenue to the system; (iv) partnership models for determining eligibility requirements and the verification method; and (v) estimated costs associated with the administration and marketing of the program. The implementation analysis shall be filed with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the senate and house committees on ways and means and the joint committee on transportation not later than October 15, 2023.

SECTION 2. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the regional transit authority council established in section 27 of chapter 161B of the General Laws, in coordination with the secretary of health and human services, may provide each regional transit authority with assistance to implement a low-income fare program that provides free or discounted transit fares to qualifying riders on all modes of transportation operated by each authority.

(b) In developing the low-income fare program, each regional transit authority shall develop a stakeholder engagement plan and an implementation analysis. The engagement plan shall ensure engagement with relevant stakeholders and provide opportunities for public input in geographically-diverse service areas of the authority. The analysis shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of: (i) the number of riders anticipated to benefit from the program; (ii) the average reduction of each fare, by mode; (iii) the overall impact on revenue to the system;  (iv) partnership models for determining eligibility requirements and the verification method; (v) any estimated costs associated with the administration and marketing of the program; and (vi) consideration of a no-fare option if that would be cheaper to implement than a means-tested fare program.