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03/19/2024 02:09 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20210&cosponId=37720
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: September 19, 2022 12:20 PM
From: Senator Marty Flynn
To: All Senate members
Subject: Requiring Payment of Tolls and Fees for Vehicle Registration
 
The amount of uncollected and unbillable tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike continues to be a black eye for the operational integrity of the system. Building upon my previous legislative efforts regarding this issue, I intend to introduce legislation requiring that any and all outstanding tolls, along with late fees, be paid by an individual in order to register a vehicle.

The latest Revenue Assurance Plan report posted by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) provides no indication that this problem has been solved. In fact, uncollected or unbillable tolls total upwards of $155 million for the one-year reporting period of April 2021 through March. While the Commission has provided some reasoning behind this figure, it doesn’t change the reality that these unpaid tolls come at the expense of roadway maintenance and improvements, as well as debt service for significant outstanding obligations held by the PTC. Most importantly, paying customers continue to face significant toll increases that put pressure on their household budgets while others avoid paying without consequence.  

Presently, a main component of the annual or biennial vehicle registration process is confirmation of a legal address in the Commonwealth. This information is critically important not only for PennDOT’s purposes, but also for that of law enforcement. Additionally, this address information is how the PTC makes contact with individuals to collect tolls via the Toll By Plate system. My legislation would require that the PTC share information on uncollected and unbillable tolls, along with late fees, with PennDOT. PennDOT would subsequently be required to crosscheck this database as part of the registration process to verify that an individual does not have any unpaid tolls. If an individual does have unpaid tolls, they would need to pay the outstanding balance and late fees before their vehicle registration would be issued.

The goal of this legislation is simple: provide another mechanism by which to collect unpaid tolls from individuals that travel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This is a $155 million problem. I believe that this legislation provides yet another tool to address this problem, alongside prior efforts with respect to reporting, collections, and enforcement. I ask that you consider co-sponsoring this legislation.