PRINTER'S NO. 1495
No. 1312 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY SAINATO, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, GIGLIOTTI, MELIO, YOUNGBLOOD, BELARDI, TRAVAGLIO, LaGROTTA, SHANER, READSHAW, PESCI, LEDERER, DeLUCA, DALEY, LEVDANSKY, BROWNE, BOSCOLA, CASORIO, VEON, LAUGHLIN, HALUSKA, KELLER AND RAMOS, APRIL 15, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 15, 1997
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of September 30, 1985 (P.L.240, No.61), 2 entitled "An act to facilitate vehicular traffic within and 3 across the Commonwealth by providing for the construction, 4 reconstruction, improvement, operation and maintenance of 5 toll roads and the conversion of existing toll-free roads to 6 toll roads in Pennsylvania; conferring powers and imposing 7 duties on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; providing for 8 membership on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; 9 authorizing issuance of turnpike revenue bonds, notes or 10 other obligations of the commission, payable solely from 11 revenues of the commission, including tolls, or from such 12 other funds as may be available to the commission for that 13 purpose, to pay the costs of such toll roads including the 14 acquisition and other costs of toll-free roads and for 15 refunding purposes; providing that no debt of the 16 Commonwealth shall be incurred in the exercise of any of the 17 powers granted by this act; providing for the collection of 18 tolls for the payment of such bonds, notes or other 19 obligations, and for the cost of maintenance, operation and 20 repair of the toll roads including toll-free roads converted 21 to toll roads; making such turnpike revenue bonds, notes or 22 other obligations exempt from taxation; constituting the same 23 legal investments in certain instances; requiring suits 24 against the commission to be brought in the courts in which 25 such actions may be brought against the Commonwealth; 26 prescribing conditions on which toll roads shall be turned 27 over to the Department of Transportation; providing for grade 28 separations, grade changes, relocations, restorations and 29 vacations of public roads and State highways affected by the 30 toll roads; providing for the purchasing or condemnation of 31 land and procedure for determining damages in condemnation;
1 granting certain powers and authority to municipalities and 2 agencies of the Commonwealth to cooperate with the 3 commission; conferring powers and imposing duties on the 4 Department of Transportation; authorizing the Secretary of 5 Transportation to enter into negotiations with the United 6 States Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway 7 Administration or any other Federal agency regarding the 8 conversion of toll-free highways constructed in the 9 Commonwealth using Federal funds to toll roads; and 10 authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to enter into 11 agreements on behalf of the Commonwealth and the commission 12 with the United States Department of Transportation, the 13 Federal Highway Administration or any other Federal agency 14 with respect to obtaining Federal funds for resurfacing, 15 restoring, rehabilitating or reconstructing toll roads in 16 Pennsylvania," providing for uniformity of tolls. 17 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 18 hereby enacts as follows: 19 Section 1. Section 16 of the act of September 30, 1985 20 (P.L.240, No.61), known as the Turnpike Organization, Extension 21 and Toll Road Conversion Act, is amended by adding a subsection 22 to read: 23 Section 16. Collection and disposition of tolls and other 24 revenue. 25 (a) Establishment and changes in toll amounts.--Subject to 26 the terms of any trust indenture entered into by the commission 27 and any resolution authorizing the issuance of any bonds, notes 28 or other obligations of the commission, the commission is hereby 29 authorized to fix, and to revise, from time to time, tolls for 30 the use of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System and the different 31 parts or sections thereof, including the turnpike, the turnpike 32 extensions and improvements and the toll road conversions 33 authorized by this act, and to charge and collect the same, and 34 to contract with any person, partnership, association or 35 corporation desiring the use of any part thereof, including the 36 right-of-way adjoining the paved portion, for placing thereon 37 telephone, telegraph, electric light or power lines, gas 19970H1312B1495 - 2 -
1 stations, garages, stores, hotels, restaurants and advertising 2 signs, or for any other purpose, except for tracks for railroad 3 or railway use, and to fix the terms, conditions, rents and 4 rates of charges for such use. Tolls shall be so fixed and 5 adjusted as to provide funds at least sufficient with other 6 revenues of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System, if any, to pay: 7 (1) the cost of constructing, maintaining, repairing and 8 operating the Pennsylvania Turnpike System and the different 9 parts and sections thereof; and 10 (2) any bonds, notes or other obligations and the 11 interest thereon of the commission, and all sinking fund 12 requirements of the commission, and other requirements 13 provided for by any resolution authorizing the issuance of 14 the bonds, notes or other obligations by the commission, or 15 by any trust indenture to which the commission is a party, as 16 the same shall become due. 17 (b) Restrictions on toll revenue.--Tolls shall not be 18 subject to supervision or regulation by any other State 19 commission, board, bureau or agency. Subject to the terms of any 20 presently existing trust indenture entered into by the 21 commission and any presently existing resolution authorizing the 22 issuance of any bonds, notes or other obligations of the 23 commission, the tolls and all other revenue derived from the 24 Pennsylvania Turnpike System shall be set aside and pledged as 25 may be provided in any resolutions, trust indentures or any 26 other agreements that the commission may hereafter adopt or 27 hereafter enter into with respect to the issuance of bonds, 28 notes or other obligations of the commission. 29 (c) Limitations on toll rates.--Notwithstanding any other 30 provision of this act, tolls for the use of the Pennsylvania 19970H1312B1495 - 3 -
1 Turnpike System and the different parts or sections thereof, 2 including the turnpike, the turnpike extensions and improvements 3 and the toll road conversions authorized by this act shall be 4 set at a uniform rate per mile upon the same class of vehicles. 5 Section 2. All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar 6 as they are inconsistent with this act. 7 Section 3. This act shall take effect in one year. C5L36BIL/19970H1312B1495 - 4 -