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2012 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Transportation

Chairman: Stephen D. Newman

Clerk: Nick Galvin, Bonnie Shelhorse
Staff: Alan Wambold, Nicole Brenner
Date of Meeting: January 18, 2012
Time and Place: 1/2 hour after adjournment in Senate Room A

S.B. 27 License plates; display of single plate on registered vehicles.

Patron: Locke

Display of vehicle license plates.  Provides for display of a single license plate on registered vehicles.

S.B. 46 On-road clean screen program; vehicle emissions inspection.

Patron: Watkins

On-road clean screen program; vehicle emissions inspection. Includes the on-road clean screen program and on-road emissions inspections as comparable equipment and devices to satisfy emissions inspections in the Commonwealth. The bill contains technical amendments.

S.B. 88 Notice of suspension or revocation of driver's licenses.

Patron: Howell

Notice of suspension or revocation of driver's licenses.  Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to send initial notice of the suspension or revocation of a driver’s license by certified mail.

S.B. 93 License plates, special; issuance of those bearing word: RESTON! and legend: LIVE WORK PLAY.

Patron: Howell

Special license plates; Reston.  Authorizes the issuance of special license plates for Reston bearing the word: "RESTON!" and the legend: "LIVE WORK PLAY."

S.B. 113 Issuance of driver’s licenses to minors.

Patron: McDougle

Issuance of driver's licenses to minors.  Requires that a licensee who is under the age of 18 at the time that the ceremony is held to issue an original driver's license be accompanied by a parent, guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis. Under current law, a licensee must be accompanied at the ceremony if he is under the age of 18 at the time the application for licensure is made. This bill is a recommendation of the Committee on District Courts.

S.B. 161 Transportation Board; increases number of membership.

Patron: Petersen

Composition of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Increases the number of members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board to 18 and changes the areas of representation to the congressional districts. The bill also assigns the at-large members to specific transportation areas.

S.B. 199 Pedestrians; requires vehicle drivers to stop at marked crosswalks, etc.

Patron: Marsden

Pedestrians.  Requires vehicle drivers to stop for pedestrians crossing at marked crosswalks or at intersections not controlled by traffic signals.

S.B. 208 Administrative suspension of license.

Patron: Barker

Administrative suspension of license.  Changes the period of administrative license suspension upon arrest for a DUI from seven to 60 days and, for a second or subsequent offense, from 60 days until the time of trial.

S.B. 209 HOV lanes; use by vehicle with clean special fuel license plates.

Patron: Barker

HOV lanes; use by vehicle with clean special fuel license plates. Extends until July 1, 2013, the sunset on use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes by vehicles bearing clean special fuel license plates, regardless of the number of occupants.

S.B. 210 Provisional driver's license holders.

Patron: Barker

Provisional driver's license holders.  Changes from a secondary offense to a primary offense use of a cell phone by a provisional driver’s license holder.

S.B. 212 High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes; construction contracts.

Patron: Barker

HOT lane construction contracts.  Requires that High Occupancy Toll lane construction contracts contain requirements for minimum average speed for vehicles using the facility.

S.B. 213 Highway maintenance; allocation of funds by CTB for maintenance of assets within Interstate System.

Patron: Barker

Highway maintenance allocations.  Provides that allocation of funds by the Commonwealth Transportation Board for maintenance of assets within the Interstate System of Highways and the primary and secondary systems of state highways shall be based on achieving a minimal level of disparity among highway construction districts in meeting asset management standards.

S.B. 219 Text messaging and emailing while driving; penalty.

Patron: Barker

Text messaging and emailing while driving; penalty.  Allows police officers to issue citations to violators who text message or email while operating a moving motor vehicle. Currently, police officers must have cause to stop or arrest a driver for some other violation before issuing a citation.

S.B. 225 License plates, special; issuance of those bearing legend: PEACE BEGINS AT HOME.

Patron: Herring

Special license plates; PEACE BEGINS AT HOME.  Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates bearing the legend PEACE BEGINS AT HOME to support the programs of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance for the prevention of sexual and domestic violence in Virginia.

S.B. 228 Vehicle and trailer immobilization.

Patron: Herring

Vehicle and trailer immobilization. Makes all vehicles and trailers, in addition to motor vehicles, subject to removal or immobilization for outstanding parking violations.

S.B. 231 Local regulation of taxicabs.

Patron: Herring

Local regulation of taxicabs.  Disallows counties, cities, and towns from reducing the number of taxicabs that are permitted or authorized under the local ordinance, unless there is non-use or cause.

S.B. 264 Following too closely.

Patron: Ebbin

Following too closely.  Includes bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, and mopeds among vehicles that the driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow more closely than is reasonable.

S.B. 280 Vehicle insurance.

Patron: Smith

Vehicle insurance.  Places time limits on appeals of DMV suspensions of driver's licenses, etc., for neither having vehicle insurance nor having paid the uninsured vehicle fee.

S.B. 304 Display of vehicle license plates.

Patron: Blevins

Display of vehicle license plates.  Provides for display of a single license plate on registered vehicles.

S.B. 312 Four-for-Life; substantive review.

Patron: Blevins

Four-for-Life; substantive review. Requires that a reallocation of moneys set aside from the Four-for-Life fees be made pursuant to legislation that has been reviewed by the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee and the Senate Committee on Education and Health. The bill includes technical amendments.

S.B. 315 Virginia Department of Transportion; incident management.

Patron: Black

Virginia Department of Transportation; incident management. Allows VDOT to drive on a portion of the highway other than a roadway at, en route to, or from the scene of a traffic accident, without direction from law-enforcement officers.

S.B. 322 Insurance requirements for motor carriers.

Patron: Carrico

Insurance requirements for motor carriers.  Provides that the existing exemptions from the laws in Chapter 21 of Title 46.2 for the transportation of property (i) between any point in Virginia and any point outside Virginia and (ii) between points within any city or town, do not apply to the chapter's insurance requirements.

S.B. 334 License plates, special; issuance to supporters of NASCAR.

Patron: Carrico

Special license plates; supporters of NASCAR.  Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates to supporters of NASCAR. Revenues derived from sale of these plates will be shared with Richmond International Raceway CARES once a minimum of 1,000 plates are sold.

S.B. 335 Weight limits; haulers of sand, gravel, and crushed stone.

Patron: Carrico

Weight limits; haulers of sand, gravel, and crushed stone.  Extends the temporary increased weight limit for trucks hauling sand, gravel, or crushed stone in coal counties to July 1, 2013.

S.B. 336 All-terrain and utility vehicles; expands definition.

Patron: Newman

Definitions of all-terrain and utility vehicles.  Expands the definition of all-terrain vehicles to include six-wheeled vehicles and vehicles that can carry passengers and narrows the definition of all-terrain vehicles to exclude riding lawn mowers. The bill also expands the definition of utility vehicles to include those with more than 25 horsepower. The bill also makes numerous technical corrections.

S.B. 337 Department of Motor Vehicles.

Patron: Newman

Department of Motor Vehicles.  Replaces references to “honorable discharge” throughout the code with “discharge or released under conditions other than dishonorable.” The bill also makes numerous comprehensive DMV service and safety changes. The bill also makes technical amendments.

S.B. 343 Motor carrier and commercial driver's licensing; amends several licensing laws.

Patron: Newman

Motor carrier and commercial driver's licensing.  Amends several motor carrier and commercial driver's licensing laws. The bill also authorizes the DMV commissioner to designate members of his staff as motor carrier size and weight compliance agents to issue citations for civil violations of size and weight and other related statutes. The bill also provides authority to the agents to issue citations for IFTA violations and place holds on vehicles, which can be levied to recover outstanding debts against the Commonwealth.

S.B. 358 Infrared traffic light signal changers.

Patron: Deeds

Infrared traffic light signal changers.  Allows local governments by ordinance to permit use of infrared traffic light signal changers by fire-fighting vehicles in nonemergency situations.

S.B. 364 Police-requested vehicular towing.

Patron: Deeds

Police-requested vehicular towing.  Allows "police-requested towing" to be initiated by uniformed employees authorized by the local police department.

S.B. 365 Judgments for motor vehicle accident damages.

Patron: Deeds

Judgments for motor vehicle accident damages.  Provides that a judgment for motor vehicle accident damages is deemed satisfied when it is no longer enforceable. Current law provides that upon application of a judgment creditor the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles must suspend the driver's license, registration certificates, and license plates of a person who has failed for 30 days to satisfy a motor vehicle accident judgment until the judgment is satisfied.

S.B. 388 License plates, special; issuance of those bearing legend: IN REMEMBRANCE, APRIL 16, 2007.

Patron: Marsden

Special license plates; IN REMEMBRANCE, APRIL 16, 2007.  Authorizes the issuance of revenue-sharing special license plates bearing the legend IN REMEMBRANCE, APRIL 16, 2007. The annual surcharge for these plates would be $25 instead of the standard $10 for most other nonrevenue-sharing special license plates. For each set of plates issued (after the first 1,000 sets) $15 will go to the VTV Family Outreach Foundation, to support its operation and programs in Virginia.

S.B. 397 Electric vehicles; emissions testing.

Patron: Hanger

Electric vehicles; emissions testing.  Exempts qualified plug-in electric on-road vehicles from emissions inspections.

S.B. 423 Motor vehicle license plates.

Patron: Ruff

Motor vehicle license plates.  Provides that motor vehicles whose manufacturers do not provide, as original equipment, for a bracket or other device for displaying a license plate on the front of the vehicle will be required to display only single license plates, on the rear of the vehicle.

S.B. 454 Handicapped parking.

Patron: Vogel

Handicapped parking.  Allows localities by ordinance to grant four hours free parking to vehicles exhibiting disabled parking indicia in some places while not granting such free parking in other places.

S.B. 469 Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (PPTA).

Patron: Northam

Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (PPTA).  Requires the approval by transportation planning organizations (TPOs) of PPTA comprehensive agreements dealing with projects within the boundaries of one of the TPO's constituent localities.

S.B. 481 Vehicle odometers; increases penalty for tampering.

Patron: Garrett

Odometer tampering.  Increases the penalty for odometer tampering.

S.B. 500 Fines and fees for violations occurring on interstate highways.

Patron: Watkins

Fines and fees for violations occurring on interstate highways.  Provides that when a warrant or summons is issued for a violation of law occurring on an interstate highway or a highway that receives federal-aid funds, a state statute must be charged.

S.B. 502 Emissions inspections.

Patron: Saslaw

Emissions inspections.  Privatizes services now provided by the Department of Environmental Quality related to vehicle emissions inspections. The bill also updates authorized testing equipment, allows use of wireless systems to increase convenience, and replaces program validation required by the Clean Air Act with randomly assigned free emissions tests performed when vehicles undergo state safety inspection. Savings generated are dedicated to transportation maintenance projects. The bill removes language related to emissions testing in the Richmond area and establishes an enhanced emissions inspection program for areas other than Northern Virginia. Surplus funds from the program are dedicated to transportation maintenance in those localities required to have basic emissions inspections.

S.B. 531 Northern Virginia Transportation District; establishes responsibilities for various entities.

Patron: Marsden

Northern Virginia Transportation District; long-range planning.  Establishes responsibilities for various entities for long-range transportation planning for the Northern Virginia Transportation District.