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2009 SESSION

083538275
SENATE BILL NO. 676
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Transportation
on January 31, 2008)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Miller, J. C.)
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 33.1-391.7, 33.1-391.9, and 33.1-391.10 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the composition, organization, and powers of the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 33.1-391.7, 33.1-391.9, and 33.1-391.10 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 33.1-391.7. Authority created.

The Hampton Roads Transportation Authority, hereinafter in this chapter known as "the Authority" is hereby created as a body politic and as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. The Authority shall embrace the Counties County of Isle of Wight, James City, and York and the Cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg. The membership of the Authority shall be as provided in §§ 33.1-391.9 and 33.1-391.12. In addition, the Counties of Accomack and Northampton shall also be embraced by the Authority at such time that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel facilities become subject to the control of the Authority as provided under § 33.1-391.12.

§ 33.1-391.9. Composition of Authority; chairman and vice-chairman; quorum.

The Authority shall consist of the following members: (i) the chief elected officer of the governing body (or in the discretion of the chief elected officer, his designee, who shall be a current elected officer of such governing body) of each of the Counties County of Isle of Wight, James City, and York and the Cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, who shall serve with voting privileges; (ii) a member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board who resides in a county or city embraced by the Authority appointed by the Governor who shall serve ex officio without a vote; (iii) the Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, or his designee, who shall serve ex officio without a vote; (iv) the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner, or his designee, who shall serve ex officio without a vote; (v) two members of the Virginia House of Delegates each of whom shall reside in a city or county whose governing body has a voting member on the Authority, neither of whom shall reside in the same city or county, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, who shall serve ex officio without a vote; and (vi) one member of the Senate of Virginia who shall reside in a city or county whose governing body has a voting member on the Authority, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules who shall serve ex officio without a vote. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term by the same process as used to make the original appointment.

The Authority shall appoint a chairman and vice-chairman from among its voting membership.

A majority of the voting members of the Authority shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Decisions of the Authority shall require a quorum and shall be in accordance with voting procedures established by the Authority. Decisions of the Authority shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members of the Authority present and voting and such members present and voting in the affirmative shall be representatives of counties county and cities that collectively include at least 51% of the population embraced by the Authority at the time of the vote. The population of counties and cities embraced by the Authority shall be the population as determined by the most recently preceding decennial census, except that after July 1 of the fifth year following such census, the population of each county and city shall be adjusted, based on final population estimates made by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia.

Members of the Authority shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties and, in addition, shall be paid a per diem equal to the amount paid members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board for each day or portion thereof during which they are engaged in the official business of the Authority.

The Auditor of Public Accounts, or his legally authorized representatives, shall annually audit the financial accounts of the Authority, and the cost of such audit shall be borne by the Authority.

§ 33.1-391.10. Additional powers of the Authority.

The Authority shall have the following powers together with all powers incidental thereto or necessary for the performance of those hereinafter stated:

1. To sue and be sued and to prosecute and defend, at law or in equity, in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties;

2. To adopt and use a corporate seal and to alter the same at its pleasure;

3. To procure insurance, participate in insurance plans, and provide self-insurance; however, the purchase of insurance, participation in an insurance plan, or the creation of a self-insurance plan by the Authority shall not be deemed a waiver or relinquishment of any sovereign immunity to which the Authority or its officers, directors, employees, or agents are otherwise entitled;

4. To establish bylaws and make all rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, deemed expedient for the management of the Authority's affairs;

5. To apply for and accept money, materials, contributions, grants, or other financial assistance from the United States and agencies or instrumentalities thereof, the Commonwealth, and any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the Commonwealth, and from any legitimate private source;

6. To acquire real and personal property or any interest therein by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise for purposes consistent with this chapter; and to hold, encumber, sell, or otherwise dispose of such land or interest for purposes consistent with this chapter;

7. To acquire by purchase, lease, contract, or otherwise, highways, bridges, tunnels, railroads, rolling stock, and transit and rail facilities and other transportation-related facilities; and to construct the same by purchase, lease, contract, or otherwise;

8. In consultation with the Commonwealth Transportation Board and with each city or county in which the facility or any part thereof is or is to be located, to repair, expand, enlarge, construct, reconstruct, or renovate any or all of the transportation facilities referred to in this section, and to acquire any real or personal property needed for any such purpose;

9. To enter into agreements or leases with public or private entities for the operation and maintenance of bridges, tunnels, transit and rail facilities, and highways;

10. To make and execute contracts, deeds, mortgages, leases, and all other instruments and agreements necessary or convenient for the performance of its duties and the exercise of its powers and functions under this chapter;

11. To the extent funds are made or become available to the Authority to do so, to employ employees, agents, advisors, and consultants, including without limitation, attorneys, financial advisers, engineers, and other technical advisers and, the provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, to determine their duties and compensation;

12. The authority shall comply with the provisions governing localities contained in § 15.2-2108.23;

13. To decide and vote to impose all of the fees and taxes authorized under law for use by the Authority. Furthermore, no such fee or tax shall apply to Accomack or Northampton County until such time that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel facilities become subject to the control of the Authority as provided under § 33.1-391.12; and

14. To the extent not inconsistent with the other provisions of this chapter, and without limiting or restricting the powers otherwise given the Authority, to exercise all of the powers given to transportation district commissions by §§ 15.2-4518 and 15.2-4519. The Authority shall only undertake those transportation projects that are included in the federally mandated 2030 Regional Transportation Plan approved by the Metropolitan Planning Organization, or any successive plan, and that are located in, or which provide a benefit to, the counties and cities that are members of the Authority, subject to the limitations related to those projects contained in this section.

The Authority shall phase construction of the transportation projects that are included in the federally mandated 2030 Regional Transportation Plan, or any successive plan. Except as specifically provided herein, projects listed in the second phase shall not be undertaken until the Authority has considered and acted upon a financing plan for the maintenance, operation, and construction for the projects listed in the first phase that meet the requirements of this section.

First Phase Projects:

Route 460 Upgrade; I-64 Widening on the Peninsula; I-64 Widening on the Southside; Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Extension; Southeastern Parkway/Dominion Blvd/Route 17; I-664 Widening in Newport News; I-664 Widening on the Southside; I-664 Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel Widening.

Second Phase Projects:

I-564 from I-64 to the Intermodal Connector; I-564 Connector to the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel; Craney Island Connector.