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2016 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Transportation

Chairman: Charles W. Carrico, Sr.

Clerk: John Garrett
Staff: Nicole Brenner
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2016
Time and Place: Wednesday, 45 min. after adjournment, Senate Room A

S.B. 117 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.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 46.2-818.1, relating to opening of motor vehicle doors.

16100874D

S.B. 286 Motor vehicles equipped with television and video.

Patron: DeSteph

Motor vehicles equipped with television and video. Provides that motor vehicles may be equipped with visual displays of moving images if the equipment is factory-installed and has an interlock device that disables the equipment when the motor vehicle operator is performing the driving task. Current law allows equipment with a visual display of a television broadcast or signal if the equipment's interlock disables when the motor vehicle is driven. The bill would allow the viewing of a visual display while the vehicle is being operated autonomously.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-1077 of the Code of Virginia, relating to motor vehicles equipped with televisions and video; not within view of driver.

16102320D

S.B. 365 Prioritization of statewide transportation projects; exceptions.

Patron: Chafin

Prioritization of statewide transportation projects; exceptions. Provides that projects on U.S. Route 460 and U.S. Route 121 are not subject to the prioritization process that the Commonwealth Transportation Board applies to projects eligible for state funding.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 33.2-214.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to prioritization of statewide transportation projects; exceptions.

16102524D

S.B. 379 Speed limits; fines doubled for speeding on certain highways.

Patron: Vogel

Maximum speed limits; fines doubled. Allows a county to provide by ordinance that fines for speeding on a nonlimited access highway having four or more lanes in such county are doubled.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-870 of the Code of Virginia, relating to maximum speed limits; fines doubled.

16103692D

S.B. 390 Temporary visitor's driver's licenses; DMV may issue.

Patron: Surovell

Temporary visitor's driver's licenses. Allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a temporary visitor's driver's license to an applicant who is unable to present valid documentary evidence of legal permanent residency in the United States or conditional resident alien status, if certain requirements are met.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-328.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to temporary visitor's driver's licenses.

16103123D

S.B. 413 Northern Va. Transportation Authority; use of population estimates in connection with decisions.

Patron: Barker

Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Provides that the population criterion required for decisions of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority shall be the estimates, not the projections, made by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia and provides that the population estimates shall be adjusted once the estimates are available for July 1 of the fifth year after the decennial census. Under current law the population estimates are adjusted on July 1 of the fifth year, which requires them to use the previous year's data.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 33.2-2504 of the Code of Virginia, relating to use of population estimates in connection with decisions of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

16102469D

S.B. 465 Request for Proposal of design-build projects.

Patron: Carrico

Request for Proposal of design-build projects. Allows for the submission and consideration of alternative technical concepts, defined in the bill, during the Request for Proposal process of a design-build transportation project.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 33.2-209 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Request for Proposal for design-build projects.

16103482D

S.B. 515 Mobile food vending; allows units in commuter lots in Planning District 8, security camera fees.

Patron: McPike

Mobile food vending in commuter lots in Planning District 8; fees; security cameras. Allows mobile food vending units to apply for a permit and pay a fee with the Department of Transportation that would allow them to sell food in commuter lots in Planning District 8. The Department would use the fees to pay for security cameras and increase security in such commuter lots. The bill also requires the Department to publish the permit application on its website and establish a fee for the permit.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 1 of Title 33.2 a section numbered 33.2-118, relating to mobile food vending in commuter lots in Planning District 8; fees; security cameras.

16101816D

S.B. 522 Motor vehicle safety inspection; exemption of new motor vehicles.

Patron: McPike

Motor vehicle safety inspection; exemption. Exempts new motor vehicles from motor vehicle safety inspection for the first two years of ownership or operation after purchase.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-1157 of the Code of Virginia, relating to exception from motor vehicle safety inspection for new motor vehicles.

16102832D

S.B. 526 Motor vehicle safety inspections; single sticker.

Patron: McPike

Motor vehicle safety inspections; single sticker. Provides that passage of a motor vehicle safety inspection is a condition to registration or registration renewal. Motorists would be provided with a safety inspection decal that indicates the month of the vehicle's registration and requires that safety inspection stations obtain such decals from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill also provides for electronic submission of evidence of passage of a safety inspection to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 46.2-645, 46.2-646, 46.2-712, 46.2-1043, 46.2-1048, 46.2-1065, 46.2-1092, 46.2-1158.01, 46.2-1158.1, 46.2-1161.1, 46.2-1163, 46.2-1175.1 of the Code of Virginia and to repeal § 46.2-1164 of the Code of Virginia, relating to issuance of a safety inspection approval decal; registration.

16103510D

S.B. 555 Learner's permit holder; passenger limits, prohibits use of cell phone.

Patron: Cosgrove

Learner's permit holder; passenger limits; use of cell phone. Prohibits a holder of a learner's permit from (i) using a cell phone while driving and (ii) having more than one passenger under age 21. Current law prohibits the holder of a provisional driver's license who is under the age of 19 from (i) having more than one passenger under age 21 unless a parent is present and (ii) using a cellphone. The bill removes the exception that a provisional driver's license holder under age 18 may have more than one passenger under age 21 if a parent is present. The bill also clarifies that the passenger limitations on all provisional driver's licenses do not include household or family members.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 46.2-334.01 and 46.2-335 of the Code of Virginia, relating to operating a motor vehicle by a holder of a learner's permit or provisional driver's license holder.

16102859D

S.B. 591 Taxicab services; regulation by localities, background checks.

Patron: Obenshain

Regulation of taxicab services by localities; background checks. Requires localities to adopt ordinances requiring that a criminal history background check be performed before an individual is authorized as a driver and at least once every two years thereafter. The background check shall require individuals to submit fingerprints and personal identifying information to be provided directly to the Central Criminal Records Exchange, which shall forward the results of the state and national records search to the local government or chief law-enforcement officer of the locality.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-2062 of the Code of Virginia, relating to regulation of taxicab services by localities; background checks.

16102430D

S.B. 630 Motorcyclists; operating or riding without helmet.

Patron: Garrett

Motorcyclists. Allows individuals age 21 or older to operate or ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-910 of the Code of Virginia, relating to wearing of helmets by motorcyclists.

16103768D

S.B. 658 Motor vehicle registration; exemptions.

Patron: Newman

Technical changes; registration exemptions. Clarifies that a person with a registration exemption is not required to obtain a registration certificate, license plates, or decals and makes the corresponding grammatical clarification throughout Article 6 (§ 46.2-662 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 46.2.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 46.2-663 through 46.2-680 of the Code of Virginia, relating to exemptions from registration; technical changes.

16103246D

S.B. 663 Careless driving; cause of injury to vulnerable road user.

Patron: Surovell

Careless driving; cause of injury to vulnerable road user. Provides that a person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and shall have his license suspended who operates a motor vehicle in a careless or distracted manner and is the proximate cause of serious physical injury to a vulnerable road user, defined in the bill as a pedestrian or person riding a bicycle, electric wheelchair, electric bicycle, wheelchair, skateboard, skates, foot-scooter, animal, or animal-drawn vehicle.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 46.2-816.1, relating to careless driving and infliction of injury on vulnerable road users.

16100141D

S.B. 666 Issuance of certain special license plates.

Patron: Black

Issuance of certain special license plates. Prohibits the DMV from issuing to registered sex offenders special license plates for supporters of the Family and Children's Trust Fund of Virginia bearing the legend KIDS FIRST or renewing the registration for a vehicle that has been issued such license plates.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-749.48 of the Code of Virginia, relating to special license plates for supporters of Family and Children's Trust Fund bearing the legend KIDS FIRST.

16103999D

S.B. 693 Transfers to the Port Opportunity Fund.

Patron: Cosgrove

Transfers to the Port Opportunity Fund. Removes the requirement that if the Virginia Port Authority's revenues exceed expenditures by at least five percent the Authority transfer five percent of that year's revenues from terminal operations to the Port Opportunity Fund. The bill makes technical amendments.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 62.1-132.3:1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to transfers to the Port Opportunity Fund.

16104167D

S.B. 702 Bridge structures; attachment to locality, annual service fee.

Patron: Lucas

Bridge structures; attachment to locality; annual service fee. Provides that a bridge constructed and operated in accordance with Chapter 581 of the Acts of Assembly of 2009, known as the Jordan Bridge, is not within either locality to which it is attached. The bill requires the owners of such bridge to pay each such locality, the Cities of Chesapeake and Portsmouth, an annual service fee of five cents per toll paid on the bridge, divided equally between the two localities.

A BILL to provide that a bridge structure is not attached to the Cities of Chesapeake or Portsmouth; annual service fee.

16104182D