Amendment #519 to H3400

Ensuring Turnpike Tolls Come Down

Representatives Frost of Auburn, Durant of Spencer, Ferguson of Holden and Smola of Palmer move to amend the bill by adding the following section:

“SECTION XXXX.  Chapter 29 of the acts of 2009 is hereby amended by striking section 173 and inserting in place thereof the following:-

Section 173.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the turnpike , operated and maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, shall be operated  and maintained free of tolls: (i) when all notes and bonds issued by the department relating to the turnpike and payable from turnpike revenues have been paid or a sufficient amount for the payment of all such notes or bonds and the interest thereon, to the maturity thereof, shall have been set aside in trust for the benefit of the holders of such notes or bonds; or (ii) on December 31, 2017, whichever occurs first.  For the purposes of this section, “turnpike” shall have the same meaning as under section 1 of chapter 6C.