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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 25, 2012
Time and Place: 1/2 hr. after adjournment in Senate Room A

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. 101 Bicycles; Town Council of Blacksburg to permit operation in either direction on one-way streets.

Patron: Edwards

Bicycles in Blacksburg.  Authorizes the Town Council of Blacksburg to permit operation of bicycles in either direction on one-way streets.

S.B. 155 Repairable vehicles; definition, exemption.

Patron: Puckett

Repairable vehicles.  Defines “repairable vehicle” and exempts repairable vehicles from Chapter 16 of Title 46.2 (Salvage, Nonrepairable, and Rebuilt Vehicles).

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. 195 Towing ordinances; localities in Northern Virginia to require companies to submit to inspection.

Patron: Marsden

Local towing ordinances.  Allows localities in Northern Virginia by ordinance to require towing companies that tow trespassing vehicles from one locality to another to submit to inspection of their facilities by the locality from which such vehicles are towed.

S.B. 196 Fairfax County Parkway; requires CTB to transfer to state primary highway system.

Patron: Marsden

Fairfax County Parkway.  Requires the CTB to transfer the Fairfax County Parkway to the state primary highway system.

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. 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. 230 Highway projects; VDOT to provide for training and certification of local government employees.

Patron: Herring

Administration of local highway projects.  Requires VDOT to provide for training and certification of local government employees to enable them to administer locally performed highway maintenance and construction projects without additional VDOT supervision.

S.B. 333 Mopeds; prohibited on highways with speed limits in excess of 35 miles per hour.

Patron: Carrico

Mopeds.  Prohibits the operation of mopeds on highways with posted speed limits in excess of 35 miles per hour.

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. 339 Advertising & advertisements; allows running animation on structures.

Patron: Newman

Advertisements and advertising structures.  Allows running animation on advertisements and advertising structures. The bill also allows scrolling animation on on-premises advertisements and advertising structures.

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. 364 Towing; allows police-requested towing to be initiated by employees authorized by local police.

Patron: Deeds

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

S.B. 392 Transportation Board; increases number of membership.

Patron: Marsden

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. 397 Electric vehicles; exempts qualified plug-in electric on-road vehicles from emissions inspections.

Patron: Hanger

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

S.B. 421 Motor vehicle dealers; recovering title.

Patron: Marsden

Motor vehicle dealers; the Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund.  Provides a new mechanism whereby a person who purchases a vehicle from a dealer may recover the title to that vehicle if the title is in the possession of someone other than the dealer. The bill also provides a mechanism by which the minimum balance to be maintained in the Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund will be adjusted to keep pace with inflation.

S.B. 479 Weighing of vehicles; exempts those owned or leased by City of Suffolk.

Patron: Lucas

Weighing of vehicles.  Exempts vehicles owned or leased by the City of Suffolk from being weighed at DMV-controlled weigh-stations along U.S. Route 58 in Suffolk.

S.B. 502 Motor vehicle emissions inspections; privatizes services now provided by DEQ, etc.

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. 530 VDOT projects, certain; required to hold at least one public hearing before undertaking.

Patron: Marsden

Public hearings prior to certain VDOT projects.  Requires VDOT to hold at least one public hearing before undertaking any safety-related or congestion management-related highway project requested by or to be located adjacent to any college, university, or institution of higher education in the Commonwealth.

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.

S.B. 578 Virginia Port Authority; amends several provisions governing conduct of business.

Patron: Wagner

Virginia Port Authority.  Amends several provisions governing the conduct of the Authority's business. Creates the Route 460 Corridor Interstate 85 Connector Economic Development Zone to promote the use of the Port of Virginia. Increases the number of Commissioners eligible to serve from Hampton Roads.

S.B. 587 License plates, special; changes those promoting tourism on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Patron: Northam

Special license plates; Virginia's Eastern Shore.  Changes the special license plates promoting tourism on Virginia's Eastern Shore from non-revenue sharing to revenue sharing.

S.B. 593 Back of Dragon; designates portion of Route 16 in Tazewell and Smyth Counties.

Patron: Puckett

Virginia Route 16; Back of the Dragon.  Designates Virginia Route 16 between Frog Level in Tazewell County and the Town of Marion in Smyth County the "Back of the Dragon."

S.B. 595 Railroad grade crossings; vehicles who are required to stop for trains.

Patron: Lucas

Railroad grade crossings.  Provides that where vehicles are required to stop for trains at railroad grade crossings, they must stop for "other track equipment" as well.

S.B. 619 Commonwealth Tolling Assistance Program; established.

Patron: Lucas

Commonwealth Tolling Assistance Program.  Establishes a program that would allow low-income persons and full-time students at state institutions of higher education to apply to receive electronic tolling transponders with a value of $250 to be used to pay tolls on the highways of the Commonwealth. The program would be administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation and would be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

S.B. 633 Bicycles; makes hitherto local-option bicycle helmet law applicable statewide.

Patron: Barker

Bicycles helmets.  Makes the hitherto local-option bicycle helmet law applicable statewide.

S.B. 639 Transportation; provides for construction, operation, maintenance, and funding, report.

Patron: Wagner

Transportation construction, operation and maintenance, and funding.  Provides for the construction, maintenance, and funding of transportation by (i) creating transportation construction districts and the Transportation Improvement District Fund to identify, construct, and fund certain transportation projects, including the authority to issue revenue bonds; (ii) creating the Virginia Toll Road Authority to fund transportation projects through tolls and other charges, (iii) increasing the dedicated transportation allocation of the sales and use tax from 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent, phased in over eight years, with the additional revenue dedicated for highway maintenance and operation, (iv) increasing transportation's share of year-end surpluses to 75 percent, (v) dedicating a portion of revenue growth each year to transportation, and (vi) requiring localities to create transportation plans as part of comprehensive planning.

The bill also authorizes the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to name highways, bridges, interchanges, and other transportation facilities for private entities if an annual naming rights fee is paid, with the revenue dedicated to highway maintenance and operation. The bill also charges the CTB with greater responsibilities involving integration of land use and transportation planning and authorizes the CTB to withhold federal and state funds for certain local or regional capital improvement projects if those projects are inconsistent with the Statewide Transportation Plan or the Six-Year Improvement Program. Provision is made for use of "revenue-sharing" funds for secondary highway system maintenance projects carried out by local governments. The bill also provides for special allocations by the CTB for bridge reconstruction, high priority highway projects, and reconstruction of highways with particularly deteriorated pavements. It also provides for the performance of maintenance projects directly by VDOT when it can be demonstrated to the Commissioner or the CTB that VDOT can do it at lesser cost than an outside contractor.

 

S.B. 666 Fines and fees; disposition of fines in traffic cases.

Patron: Garrett

Fines and fees; disposition of fines in traffic cases. Provides that an arrest or summons issued by a local law-enforcement officer for a violation of a motor vehicle law of the Commonwealth shall be issued under an applicable local ordinance, unless no such ordinance exists. The bill also clarifies that any fines collected by localities for a violation of a local ordinance shall not be paid into the state treasury.