HB4667 SUB 2/28
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 4667
(By Delegates Ball, Frederick,
Osborne, Browning and Staton)
(Originating in the Political Subdivisions)
[February 28, 1996]
A BILL to amend and reenact section twelve, article sixteen-b,
chapter seventeen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand
nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to requiring
the public port authority to fund the Bluestone Junction
tourist train project; requiring the public port authority
to issue bonds; and requiring that revenues derived from the
project be set aside for the payments and expenses
associated with issuing the bonds.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twelve, article sixteen-b, chapter seventeen of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one,
as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 16B. PUBLIC PORT AUTHORITY.
§17-16B-12. Division of tourist trains and transportation;
duties.
(a) The division of tourist trains and transportation shall
develop a plan to assess the feasibility, financial and
otherwise, of establishing a statewide intermodal network oftourist transportation, so as to coordinate, link and supervise
the various means of transportation including highway, rail,
waterway and air and such plan shall also include, if feasible,
the development of a comprehensive strategy and state plan for
tourist transportation.
(b) The division shall cooperate and assist the efforts of
public and private groups, agencies and political subdivisions in
establishing components of the tourist transportation plan.
(c) The division shall specifically work to establish and
fund a pilot project for the purpose of creating a tourist train
network in the area from Bluefield, West Virginia, to Bramwell,
West Virginia, to Matoaka, West Virginia, and to Pocahontas,
Virginia. The division shall fund the project by grants to the
Mercer County tourist train authority and by issuing bonds. One
million five hundred thousand dollars shall be available to the
Mercer County tourist train authority for the project within
thirty days of the effective date of this section. The division
shall create a special fund to be named the Bluestone Junction
tourist train project fund. All tolls, rents, fees charges and
revenues derived by the Mercer County tourist train authority
from the operation of the project shall be deposited into the
fund. Any payments and expenses associated with the issuance of
the bonds issued by the division shall be paid from moneys
derived from the fund.