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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1762 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2277
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Susan L. Moran
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to increase regional transit accessibility in the Commonwealth.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Susan L. MoranPlymouth and BarnstableJoanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/26/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/30/2023Susannah M. Whipps2nd Franklin1/30/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/31/2023Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/2/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/2/2023Robyn K. KennedyFirst Worcester2/6/2023Rebecca L. RauschNorfolk, Worcester and Middlesex2/6/2023John C. VelisHampden and Hampshire2/8/2023Anne M. GobiWorcester and Hampshire2/8/2023Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden2/8/2023Mathew J. Muratore1st Plymouth2/10/2023John F. KeenanNorfolk and Plymouth2/15/2023Michael O. MooreSecond Worcester2/15/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/15/2023Pavel M. PayanoFirst Essex2/15/2023Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex3/1/2023 2 of 2
Carlos González10th Hampden3/1/2023Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex3/2/2023Paul R. FeeneyBristol and Norfolk3/6/2023John J. CroninWorcester and Middlesex3/8/2023Michelle L. Ciccolo15th Middlesex3/8/2023Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex3/10/2023 1 of 5
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1762 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2277
By Ms. Moran, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2277) of Susan L. Moran, Joanne M.
Comerford, Jack Patrick Lewis, Susannah M. Whipps and other members of the General Court
for legislation to increase regional transit accessibility in the Commonwealth. Transportation.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act to increase regional transit accessibility in the Commonwealth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Subsection (d) of section 2ZZZ of Chapter 29 of the General Laws, as
2appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (2) and inserting
3in place thereof the following clause:-
4 (2) Not less than $150,000,000 in each fiscal year to regional transit authorities organized
5under chapter 161B or predecessor laws; provided, however, that notwithstanding any special or
6general law to the contrary: (i) the transfer required by this clause shall be increased by the
7inflation index as defined in section 35T of chapter 10 for the preceding 12 months as certified
8by the comptroller annually on March 1; and (ii) no transfer required under this clause shall
9exceed 103 per cent of the transfer amount for the prior fiscal year.
10 SECTION 2. Chapter 10 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
11section 35T the following section:- 2 of 5
12 Section 35T.5. As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context
13otherwise requires, have the following meanings:
14 ''Minimum revenue amount'', the dedicated revenue amount for fiscal year 2025 and for
15each fiscal year thereafter the amount credited to the Fund in the prior fiscal year, as certified by
16the comptroller on March 1 of each year, as set forth in subsection (b).
17 ''Dedicated revenue amount'', all monies received each fiscal year by the Transportation
18Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund as established by chapter 187 of the acts of 2016 equal to
1950 per cent of the surcharges assessed on transportation network companies, as defined in section
201 of chapter 159A1/2.
21 (a) There is hereby set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be
22known as the Regional Transit Authorities State and Local Contribution Fund, hereinafter called
23the Fund. There shall be credited to the Fund the dedicated revenue amount, provided that in any
24fiscal year the amount shall be not less than the minimum revenue amount as certified pursuant
25to subsection (b). Amounts in the Fund shall be held by the state treasurer or his designee as
26trustee and not on account of the commonwealth, and the state treasurer is hereby authorized and
27directed to disburse amounts in the Fund to the regional transit authorities organized under
28chapter 161B or predecessor laws, without further appropriation, upon the request, from time to
29time, of the administrator of each authority; provided, however, that no individual authority shall
30receive more than 1/15th of the amounts in the Fund in any given fiscal year.
31 (b) For the purposes of determining the amount to be credited to the Fund established
32pursuant to subsection (a), the comptroller shall on March 1 of each year beginning on March 1,
332024, certify the minimum revenue amount for the following fiscal year. On March 15 of each 3 of 5
34year beginning on March 15, 2024, the comptroller shall, after consultation with and based on
35projections of the department of public utilities, certify whether the dedicated revenue amount is
36projected to exceed the minimum revenue amount for the upcoming fiscal year. If the
37comptroller certifies that the projected dedicated revenue amount will be less than the minimum
38revenue amount, then the comptroller shall for the following fiscal year credit to the Fund
39amounts sufficient to meet the minimum revenue amount. If the comptroller certifies that the
40projected dedicated revenue amount will exceed the minimum revenue amount, then the
41comptroller shall for the following fiscal year credit to the Fund the dedicated revenue amount.
42On November 15 of each year beginning on November 15, 2024, the comptroller shall certify
43whether the dedicated revenue amount as of that date is projected to exceed the minimum
44revenue amount for the current fiscal year. If the comptroller certifies that the dedicated revenue
45amount is projected to be less than the minimum revenue amount, then the comptroller shall
46credit to the Fund amounts sufficient to meet the minimum revenue amount for that fiscal year. If
47the comptroller certifies that the dedicated revenue amount is greater than the minimum revenue
48amount, then the comptroller shall credit to the Fund the dedicated revenue amount. On April 1
49of each year beginning on April 1, 2025, the comptroller shall repeat the certification process
50required on November 15 and shall credit the appropriate amount to the Fund.
51 SECTION 3. Section 9 of Chapter 187 of the Acts of 2016 is hereby amended by deleting
52the words “Commonwealth Transportation Fund established in section 2ZZZ of chapter 29 of the
53General Laws” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-
54 Regional Transit Authorities State and Local Contribution Fund established in section
5535T.5 of chapter 10 of the General Laws. 4 of 5
56 SECTION 4. Section 27 of chapter 161B, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is
57hereby amended by striking the section in its entirety and replacing it with the following
58section:-
59 Section 27. There shall be a regional transit authority council for the purposes of
60coordination and sharing information and best practices in matters of security and public safety
61planning and preparedness, service delivery, cost savings, and administrative efficiencies. The
62council shall draft an annual report identifying funding, service and technical assistance needs as
63well as identifying service gaps, including gaps and barriers to 7-day a week service statewide,
64and opportunities, including opportunities for increased service within an RTA service area and
65cross RTA and MBTA services. The report shall be submitted to the secretary and to the Joint
66Committee on Transportation and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means.
67 Members of the council shall include the administrator of each authority established
68under section 14, two persons who are frequent riders of a regional transit authority appointed
69annually by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies on a revolving basis,
70and a member of a Regional Planning Agency outside of the core MBTA service area. The
71secretary shall be chairman of the council and the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay
72Transportation Authority shall be a non-voting member of the council. The council shall meet no
73less than once each calendar quarter or upon the request, with reasonable notice, of the secretary.
74 SECTION 5. Section 6A of chapter 6C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
75amended by striking out clause (8).
76 SECTION 6. Said section 6A of chapter 6C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
77hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof, the following sentence:- 5 of 5
78 “The department shall not consider the farebox recovery ratio in funding decisions for
79transit authorities or funding formulas for contract assistance for transit authorities.”