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2014 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Transportation

Chairman: Stephen D. Newman

Clerk: Maribeth Turner
Staff: Nicole Brenner, Alan Wambold
Date of Meeting: January 22, 2014
Time and Place: 45 minutes after adjournment, Senate Room A
UPDATED to add SB 664

S.B. 8 Tow truck drivers; registration after conviction of violent crimes.

Patron: Garrett

Tow truck drivers; violent crimes. Allows persons convicted of violent crimes, as defined in subsection C of § 17.1-805, to become tow truck drivers after 15 years have passed from their conviction. Current law prohibits the registration as a tow truck driver of any person convicted of a violent crime.

S.B. 24 Downtown and Midtown Tunnels; use by law enforcement, school buses, emergency medical vehicles, etc.

Patron: Alexander

Use of Downtown and Midtown Tunnels by law enforcement, school buses, emergency medical vehicles, and employees. Adds local police officers, emergency medical vehicles, school buses, and employees of the transportation facility to the list of persons who may use the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels without paying the toll when conducting official business.

S.B. 26 Public comment and transparency; presentation of proposals to Committees of the General Assembly.

Patron: Alexander

Public comment and access; presentation to Committees of the General Assembly. Increases time periods for public comment and submission of competing proposals and transparency in agreements pursuant to the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995. The bill also requires a presentation to the Transportation Committees, Senate Finance Committee, and House Appropriations Committee of the General Assembly for projects in excess of $1 billion.

S.B. 73 License plates, special; issuance for members and supporters of KENTUCKY COLONELS.

Patron: Puckett

Special license plates; KENTUCKY COLONELS. Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for members and supporters of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels bearing the legend KENTUCKY COLONELS.

S.B. 91 Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995; comprehensive agreement.

Patron: Alexander

Comprehensive agreement; reduced rates for commuters. Requires comprehensive agreements under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 to include a provision providing for reduced rates for commuters who use the facility at least 20 times per month during a 12-month period.

S.B. 135 License plates, special; U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Patron: Newman

Special license plates; U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Allows disabled veterans who have been honorably discharged to receive United States Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard license plates. The bill also authorizes the issuance of United States Navy and United States Air Force plates, which did not meet the minimum prepaid applications when authorized in 2013, and allows disabled veterans who have been honorably discharged to receive those plates as well. The bill also makes a technical change by moving the Coast Guard plate from an Act of Assembly to the Code of Virginia.

S.B. 147 Transportation, Department of; notice and public comment on projects on its website.

Patron: Stuart

Department of Transportation; notice and public comment on projects. Requires VDOT to post notice on its website and provide for public comment prior to undertaking a safety-related or congestion management transportation project and when a project is expanded or substantially altered. The bill also requires VDOT to hold a public hearing upon request.

S.B. 156 Electronic tolling facilities; fees.

Patron: Miller

Electronic tolling facilities; fees. Requires VDOT or the toll facility operator at all-electronic toll facilities to either pay maintenance fees associated with E-ZPass transponders and attributed to residents living within a 50 mile radius or have the same fees for drivers with transponders as those without.

S.B. 162 License plates, special; issuance for supporters of Equality Virginia.

Patron: Favola

Special license plates; Equality Virginia. Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates for supporters of Equality Virginia.

S.B. 165 Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995; additional requirements for certain agreements.

Patron: Locke

Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995; additional requirements for certain comprehensive agreements. Provides that no comprehensive agreement providing for the lease,operation, or transfer of ownership of a qualifying transportation facility under the Public-Private Transportation Act with a total value of more than $1 billion and having a substantial negative impact on the tax revenues of an affected jurisdiction or substantially increasing the taxes, fees, or expenses that will be paid by residents of an affected jurisdiction may be executed by a state agency unless (i) approved by the Governor and (ii) a bill that includes a specific description of the proposed agreement and its anticipated expenditures and revenues is passed by the General Assembly.

S.B. 179 Mopeds; drivers required to obtain driver's license.

Patron: McWaters

Operation of mopeds; insurance. Requires drivers of mopeds to obtain a driver's license and maintains the requirement that drivers obtain a motorcycle driver's license when driving a moped over 35 miles per hour. The bill also applies the same insurance requirements to mopeds that currently apply to motor vehicles by removing the exclusion of mopeds from the definition of "motor vehicle."

S.B. 180 Mature driver crash prevention course; option for court in adjudicating defendants.

Patron: McWaters

Mature driver crash prevention. Provides for a course in mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention and provides that such course is an option for the court in adjudicating defendants. The bill also lowers the age at which drivers are required to appear before the DMV for renewal from 80 to 75 and requires that licenses issued to persons age 75 or older be valid for no more than five years. The bill contains a delayed effective date.

S.B. 225 Motor vehicle doors; drivers and passengers to wait for a reasonable opportunity to open.

Patron: Petersen

Opening and closing motor vehicle doors. Requires drivers and passengers to wait for a reasonable opportunity to open vehicle doors on the side adjacent to moving traffic. A violation constitutes a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $100.

S.B. 259 License plates, special; issuance for supporters of pollinator conservation.

Patron: Deeds

Special license plates; PROTECT POLLINATORS. Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for supporters of pollinator conservation.

S.B. 295 Billboard signs; adjustment or relocation.

Patron: Puckett

Adjustment or relocation of billboard signs. Includes the erection of a sound barrier in the list of actions that allows relocation of a billboard sign and allows a nonconforming billboard to remain in its original location until the Commissioner of Highways gives notice to its owner that construction is ready to proceed.

S.B. 296 Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, motor vehicle dealers, and T&M vehicle dealers; efficiency of operation.

Patron: Puckett

Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, motor vehicle dealers, and T&M vehicle dealers. Provides for more efficient operations of the Board, ensures solvency of the Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund, and reduces the number of agency regulations.

S.B. 298 Rail and Public Transportation, Department of; funding.

Patron: Watkins

Funding of Department of Rail and Public Transportation. Codifies appropriation act language dealing with funding of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

S.B. 375 Mopeds; same insurance requirements that apply to motor vehicles.

Patron: Reeves

Insurance for mopeds. Applies the same insurance requirements to mopeds that apply to motor vehicles, by removing the current exclusion of mopeds from the definition of "motor vehicle."

S.B. 376 Emergency vehicles; Virginia National Guard vehicles exempt from certain situations.

Patron: Reeves

Emergency vehicles of the Virginia National Guard. Provides that, for the purposes of exemptions granted to emergency vehicles in certain situations, the term "emergency vehicle" shall include any Virginia National Guard vehicle when responding to an emergency. The bill additionally permits such vehicles to be equipped with flashing, blinking, or alternating red or red and white combination warning lights.

S.B. 397 Loudoun County; unpaved rural road network.

Patron: Vogel

Unpaved rural road network in Loudoun County. Provides specific goals for VDOT's maintenance of the unpaved rural road network in Loudoun County.

S.B. 470 Speed limits; maximum limit on nonsurface-treated highways in certain counties.

Patron: Smith

Maximum speed limit on nonsurface-treated highways. Applies statewide the 35 mph maximum speed limit currently applied only in Albemarle, Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Montgomery, Nelson, Page, Rappahannock, Warren, and Wythe Counties and in any other county whose governing body adopts an ordinance to do so.

S.B. 491 Driver's license, restricted; written offer of employment.

Patron: Deeds

Restricted driver's license; written offer of employment. Provides that a court may authorize the issuance of a restricted driver's license to a person whose license has been suspended for failure to pay fines, etc., if he presents to the court a written offer of employment contingent upon obtaining a driver's license. Currently, the person must present to the court written verification of employment. A person issued a restricted license must petition each court that suspended his license for an installment or deferred payment agreement for the payment of such fines, etc., as a condition of keeping the restricted license.

S.B. 505 Natural gas; incentives for expanded use as transportation fuel, report.

Patron: Wagner

Natural gas; incentives for expanded use as transportation fuel. Establishes financial and regulatory incentives for expanding the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) for transportation purposes in the Commonwealth. Vehicles fueled, wholly or partially, by natural gas are authorized to weigh up to 2,000 pounds more than the applicable weight limit, and the bill provides that limits on hauling hazardous materials over a bridge or through a tunnel do not apply to fuel required to propel the vehicle. The bill provides for the titling and registration of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and converted natural gas vehicles, including a provision that the motor vehicle titling tax on NGVs apply to the value of such vehicle without a CNG or LNG system. The bill establishes a Natural Gas Vehicle Incentive Fund and grant programs through which moneys in the Fund may be expended for increasing public access to natural gas fueling stations, purchasing NGVs, or converting vehicles to natural gas. Revenues for the Fund come from moneys allocated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board; registration fees for NGVs; clean special fuel license plate fees; the Natural Gas Consumption Tax; severance taxes on natural gas; revenues from taxes on pipeline transmission and distribution companies, including the special regulatory revenue tax; and such other funds as may be appropriated. The bill also exempts natural gas home refueling appliances from the sales and use tax, allows taxicabs fueled by natural gas to move to the front of an airport queue, allows trucks bearing clean special fuel stickers to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and provides for the reimbursement of tolls for operators of NGVs. The bill further allows public access to state fueling areas and clarifies that refunds on motor fuel taxes apply to commercial equipment using natural gas. The measure requires the Department of General Services' plan for the replacement of state-owned or operated vehicles with alternative-fueled vehicles to include a provision requiring the purchase of NGVs rather than conventional vehicles or other vehicles that operate using alternative fuels whenever the life-cycle cost for such vehicles is not more than 10 percent greater than for conventional vehicles. The measure increases the membership of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Universities Clean Energy Development and Economic Stimulus Foundation to include a nonlegislative citizen member who shall represent an association advocating growth in North America of the use and acceptance of vehicles powered by natural gas. The purpose of the Foundation is expanded to include advancing the goal of increasing the number of NGVs operating within the Commonwealth. The powers of the Foundation's Board of Directors are augmented to include providing assistance to the Department of Motor Vehicles in its awarding of competitive grants and other incentives relating to NGV fueling facilities and related infrastructure, conversions of conventionally fueled vehicles to NGVs, and purchases of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) NGVs. The measure exempts certain materials provided to the Department of Motor Vehicles from the public records requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. Memoranda, staff evaluations, and other records prepared by the Department or its staff exclusively for the evaluation of grant applications are also exempted from the Act. The measure authorizes the Department to hold closed meetings to discuss or consider such records. The measure requires that CNG sold at retail for use as a motor fuel be dispensed in gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) units or diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) units and that LNG sold at retail for use as a motor fuel be dispensed in DGE units. The measure provides that, notwithstanding weights and measures equivalents published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a GGE of CNG shall initially be set at 5.66 pounds, a DGE of CNG shall initially be set at 6.38 pounds, and a DGE of LNG shall initially be set at 6.06 pounds. These levels may be changed pursuant to regulation adopted by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services if changes occur in the energy content of motor fuels, in which event the Commissioner shall take into consideration whether the National Conference on Weights and Measures has adopted similar standards for dispensing CNG and LNG. Commencing January 1, 2015, any dispenser used for the sale of CNG or LNG at retail for use as motor fuel shall display the GGE or the DGE unit as the primary display information provided. The dispenser shall indicate (i) the number of GGEs or DGEs sold, (ii) the total sales price of the CNG or LNG dispensed, and (iii) the sales price per GGE or DGE of the CNG or LNG sold. The measure excludes any person who is not a public service corporation and who provides CNG or LNG fueling service at retail from the meaning of the terms "public utility," "public service corporation," or "public service company." The ownership or operation of a facility at which such a fueling service is sold, and the selling of such service from that facility, does not render the person a public utility, public service corporation, or public service company solely because of that sale, ownership, or operation. The provision of CNG or LNG fueling service by a person who is not a public utility shall not constitute the retail sale of natural gas if the natural gas furnished in connection with the provision of such service is used solely for transportation purposes. Providing CNG or LNG fueling service is declared to be a permitted natural gas utility activity of a certificated natural gas utility. A natural gas utility may establish a CNG home fueling appliance loan program under which it may offer to its residential customers the option to lease a CNG home fueling appliance from the utility at amounts that are subsidized by the utility. Finally, the measure requires the Virginia Port Authority to conduct a study of the issues related to the siting of LNG storage and refueling facilities in the Hampton Roads region for transportation purposes.

S.B. 513 Hampton Roads Transportation Authority; created.

Patron: Wagner

Hampton Roads Transportation Authority created. Creates the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority to manage regional transportation planning in Planning District 23. The bill also moves the responsibility for approval of projects and the priority of such projects pursuant to the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund from the Hampton Roads Planning Organization to the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority effective July 1, 2015.

S.B. 522 Disabled American Veterans Highway.

Patron: Saslaw

Disabled American Veterans Highway. Designates the entire length of Interstate Route 495 (Capital Beltway) in Virginia the "Disabled American Veterans Highway."

S.B. 531 Contract passenger carriers; eliminates certain requirements.

Patron: Watkins

Contract passenger carriers. Eliminates the requirements that (i) contract passenger carrier service be provided for a minimum of one hour per vehicle trip and (ii) each vehicle carry a trip sheet showing passenger destinations.

S.B. 565 Commercial driver's licenses, etc.; compliance with federal requirements.

Patron: Cosgrove

Commercial driver's licenses, etc.; compliance with federal requirements. Amends several sections relating to commercial driver's licenses to comply with new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requirements relating to commercial motor vehicles and prohibited use of handheld mobile telephones in commercial motor vehicles. The bill also requires distracted driving to be included as a part of the driver's license knowledge examination to comply with MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, P.L. 112-141). In addition, the bill provides that DMV may continue to disclose personal information from crash reports, but only if otherwise authorized by law in order to comply with federal law.

S.B. 606 Secondary highway system; withdrawal of county from system.

Patron: Watkins

Withdrawal from secondary highway system. Allows lane-mile payments of $12,529 for a county with a charter that borders four cities, which elects to withdraw from the secondary system after June 30, 2014. The bill also allows the Commissioner of Highways to enter into agreements with such counties that withdraw for traffic control.

S.B. 612 Designating the Master Trooper Jerry L. Hines Memorial Bridges.

Patron: Deeds

Designating the Master Trooper Jerry L. Hines Memorial Bridges.

S.B. 664 Agreements as to compensation.

Patron: Petersen

Agreements as to compensation. Requires that the Commissioner of Highways' decisions regarding agreements be reasonable and not arbitrary.