WEST virginia Legislature

2017 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 3081

By Delegates Walters, Boggs, Bates, Westfall, Caputo, Howell, Romine, r., Phillips, Lane, Byrd and Anderson

[Introduced March 14, 2017; Referred
to the Committee on Roads and Transportation then Finance.]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §17-2A-25, relating to requiring the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Highways and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, to conduct a study to determine the amount of revenue to be derived from instituting tolls on I-70 in West Virginia’s northern panhandle and I-81 in the eastern panhandle; and providing that study be submitted no later than December 31, 2017.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §17-2A-25, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2A. WEST VIRGINIA COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS.

§17-2A-25.  Toll study; submission date.

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Transportation shall, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Highways and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, conduct a study to determine the amount of revenue to be derived from instituting tolls on I-70 in West Virginia’s northern panhandle and I-81 in the eastern panhandle. The study shall include, but is not limited to:

(1) Calculating the share of projected revenues that would be attributable to resident drivers of the state and vehicles owned by those residents;

(2) Make revenue projections based upon at least three different average rates of toll, i.e. $2, $5 and $7, for all vehicles; and

(3) Evaluate whether West Virginians' share of the toll revenue could be increased by providing an EZ-pass toll device to vehicles when they are subject to their annual state inspections.

(b) The study shall be submitted to the Legislature no later than December 31, 2017.

NOTE:  The purpose of this bill is to require the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Highways and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, to conduct a study to determine the amount of revenue to be derived from instituting tolls on I-70 in West Virginia’s northern panhandle and I-81 in the eastern panhandle. The bill provides that study be submitted no later than December 31, 2017.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.