Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1068 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1068
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1068
8	8	R2 5lr3225
9	9	HB 1070/24 – ENT & APP
10	10	By: Delegates J. Long and Stewart
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation and Appropriations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Maryland Transportation Authority – Tolls – Collection and Use 2
19	19	(Maryland Toll Rate Reform Act of 2025) 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Transportation Facilities Overage Account in the 4
22	22	Transportation Trust Fund; requiring the Maryland Transportation Authority to fix, 5
23	23	revise, charge, and collect fees, tolls, and other charges for the use of transportation 6
24	24	facilities under its jurisdiction to maximize revenues above certain amounts and to 7
25	25	distribute the additional revenues to the Transportation Facilities Overage Account 8
26	26	for certain purposes; establishing certain standards under which the Authority is 9
27	27	required to set certain toll rates; and generally relating to the collection and use of 10
28	28	revenue by the Maryland Transportation Authority. 11
29	29
30	30	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
31	31	Article – Transportation 13
32	32	Section 3–215(a), 3–216(a), and 4–312(a)(2) and (b) 14
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
34	34	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
35	35
36	36	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
37	37	Article – Transportation 18
38	38	Section 3–215(b), 3–216(c)(2)(i), and 4–312(c) 19
39	39	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
40	40	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
41	41
42	42	BY adding to 22
43	43	Article – Transportation 23
44	44	Section 3–216(d)(6) and 4–312(b–1) 24
45	45	Annotated Code of Maryland 25
46	46	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 26
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1068
48	48
49	49
50	50	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
51	51	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
52	52
53	53	Article – Transportation 3
54	54
55	55	3–215. 4
56	56
57	57	(a) (1) For the purpose of paying the principal of and interest on consolidated 5
58	58	transportation bonds as they become due and payable, there is hereby levied and imposed 6
59	59	an annual tax that consists of the taxes specified in this section and, to the extent necessary 7
60	60	and except as otherwise provided in this subsection, that shall be used and applied 8
61	61	exclusively for that purpose. 9
62	62
63	63	(2) The required use and application of the tax under paragraph (1) of this 10
64	64	subsection is subject only to the prior use and application of one or all or any combination 11
65	65	of the taxes specified in this section to meet the debt service on all of the following bonds 12
66	66	while they are outstanding and unpaid and to the payment of which any part of those taxes 13
67	67	has been pledged: 14
68	68
69	69	(i) Bonds of prior issues; and 15
70	70
71	71	(ii) Bonds of any series of county transportation bonds issued under 16
72	72	Subtitle 3 of this title. 17
73	73
74	74	(b) The tax levied and imposed by this section consists of that part of the following 18
75	75	taxes that are retained to the credit of the Department after distributions to the political 19
76	76	subdivisions: 20
77	77
78	78	(1) The motor fuel tax revenue distributed under §§ 2–1103(2), 2–1103(3), 21
79	79	and 2–1104(a)(3) of the Tax – General Article; 22
80	80
81	81	(2) The motor fuel tax revenue attributable to the sales and use tax 23
82	82	equivalent rate imposed under § 9–306 of the Tax – General Article and distributed under 24
83	83	§ 2–1103(4) of the Tax – General Article; 25
84	84
85	85	(3) The income tax revenue distributed under § 2–614 of the Tax – General 26
86	86	Article; 27
87	87
88	88	(4) The excise tax imposed on vehicles by Part II of Title 13, Subtitle 8 of 28
89	89	this article; 29
90	90
91	91	(5) The sales and use tax revenues distributed under § 2–1302.1 of the Tax 30
92	92	– General Article; [and] 31
93	93
94	94	(6) The transportation network company impact fee revenues allocated 32
95	95	under § 3–216(d)(5)(i)1 of this subtitle; AND 33
96	96	HOUSE BILL 1068 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(7) THE TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OVERAGE ACCOUNT 1
100	100	REVENUES ALLOCATED U NDER § 3–216(D)(6) OF THIS SUBTITLE . 2
101	101
102	102	3–216. 3
103	103
104	104	(a) There is a Transportation Trust Fund for the Department. 4
105	105
106	106	(c) (2) (i) The Gasoline and Motor Vehicle Revenue Account, the Driver 5
107	107	Education Account, the Motorcycle Safety Program Account, [and] the Transportation 6
108	108	Network Company Impact Fee Account , AND THE TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES 7
109	109	OVERAGE ACCOUNT shall be maintained in the Transportation Trust Fund. 8
110	110
111	111	(d) (6) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ALLO CATE THE FUNDS IN TH E 9
112	112	TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OVERAGE ACCOUNT FOR THE FOLLO WING 10
113	113	PURPOSES, IN THE MANNER THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES APPROPRIATE : 11
114	114
115	115	(I) THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE 12
116	116	HIGHWAYS THAT FEED V EHICULAR TRAFFIC TO A MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION 13
117	117	AUTHORITY TRANSPORTAT ION FACILITY; AND 14
118	118
119	119	(II) STATE HIGHWAY OR TRAN SIT CONSTRUCTION OR 15
120	120	MAINTENANCE PROJECTS THAT: 16
121	121
122	122	1. RELIEVE TRAFFIC CONGE STION AT A MARYLAND 17
123	123	TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TRANSPORTATION FACIL ITY BY PROVIDING 18
124	124	ALTERNATIVE TRANSPOR TATION OPTIONS FOR C OMMUTERS AND CARGO ; AND 19
125	125
126	126	2. ARE LOCATED IN THE GE NERAL VICINITY OF A 20
127	127	MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TRANSPORTAT ION FACILITY. 21
128	128
129	129	4–312. 22
130	130
131	131	(a) (2) As to all or any part of any transportation facilities project, the 23
132	132	Authority may: 24
133	133
134	134	(i) Fix, revise, charge, and collect rentals, rates, fees, tolls, and other 25
135	135	charges and revenues for its use or for its services; and 26
136	136
137	137	(ii) Contract with any person who desires its use for any purpose and 27
138	138	fix the terms, conditions, rentals, rates, fees, tolls, or other charges or revenues for this use. 28
139	139
140	140	(b) The rentals, rates, fees, tolls, and other charges and revenues designated as 29
141	141	security for any bonds issued under this subtitle shall be fixed and adjusted from time to 30
142	142	time, either with respect to a particular transportation facilities project or in respect of the 31
143	143	aggregate of the charges and revenues from other transportation facilities projects under 32 4 HOUSE BILL 1068
144	144
145	145
146	146	the control of the Authority, as may be specified by law or in any applicable resolution or 1
147	147	trust agreement, so as to provide funds that, together with any other available revenues, 2
148	148	are sufficient as long as the bonds are outstanding and unpaid to: 3
149	149
150	150	(1) Pay the costs of maintaining, repairing, and operating the 4
151	151	transportation facilities project or projects financed in whole or in part by one or more series 5
152	152	of outstanding and unpaid bonds, to the extent that payment is not otherwise provided; 6
153	153
154	154	(2) Pay the principal of and the interest on these bonds as they become due 7
155	155	and payable; 8
156	156
157	157	(3) Create reasonable reserves that are anticipated will be needed for these 9
158	158	purposes; and 10
159	159
160	160	(4) Provide funds for paying the cost of replacements, renewals, and 11
161	161	improvements. 12
162	162
163	163	(B–1) (1) (I) IN THIS SUBSECTION TH E FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE 13
164	164	MEANINGS INDICATED . 14
165	165
166	166	(II) “NEAR OPTIMAL TOLL RAT E” MEANS A TOLL RATE TH AT 15
167	167	PROVIDES AT LEAST 95% OF THE MAXIMUM REVEN UE POSSIBLE BASED ON A 16
168	168	TRANSPORTATION FACIL ITIES PROJECT’S OPTIMAL TOLL RATE . 17
169	169
170	170	(III) “OPTIMAL TOLL RATE ” MEANS A TOLL RATE FOR A 18
171	171	TRANSPORTATION FACIL ITIES PROJECT THAT M AXIMIZES REVENUE , AS 19
172	172	DETERMINED BY THE AUTHORITY. 20
173	173
174	174	(2) THERE IS A TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OVERAGE ACCOUNT 21
175	175	IN THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND. 22
176	176
177	177	(3) THE AUTHORITY SHALL : 23
178	178
179	179	(I) FIX, REVISE, CHARGE, AND COLLECT FEES , TOLLS, AND 24
180	180	OTHER CHARGES AT THE NEAR OPTIMAL TOLL RA TE; AND 25
181	181
182	182	(II) DISTRIBUTE REVENUE CO LLECTED ABOVE THE AM OUNTS 26
183	183	REQUIRED UNDER SUBSE CTION (B) OF THIS SECTION TO T HE TRANSPORTATION 27
184	184	FACILITIES OVERAGE ACCOUNT IN THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND. 28
185	185
186	186	(4) (I) TO DETERMINE THE OPTI MAL TOLL RATE , THE AUTHORITY 29
187	187	SHALL CONSIDER : 30
188	188	HOUSE BILL 1068 5
189	189
190	190
191	191	1. MARKET FORCES , INCLUDING THE TYPES OF TRAFFIC 1
192	192	THAT USE A PARTICULA R TRANSPORTATION FAC ILITY, THE ELASTICITY OF DE MAND, 2
193	193	AND THE AVAILABILITY OF ALTERNATE ROUTE S; AND 3
194	194
195	195	2. ASSESSING VARYING TOL L RATES BASED ON THE 4
196	196	TIME OF DAY, THE TIME OF YEAR , AND ANY ANTICIPATED WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY 5
197	197	TRAVEL. 6
198	198
199	199	(II) THE AUTHORITY SHALL CONSI DER: 7
200	200
201	201	1. OFFERING DISCOUNT RAT ES FOR SENIORS , DAILY 8
202	202	COMMUTERS , LOW–INCOME STATE RESIDENTS, MARYLAND E–ZPASS HOLDERS , 9
203	203	AND STATE RESIDENTS WHO L IVE IN THE VICINITY OF THE TRANSPORTATIO N 10
204	204	FACILITY; AND 11
205	205
206	206	2. THE DISCOUNT RATES OF FERED IN DETERMINING 12
207	207	THE NEAR OPTIMAL TOL L RATE. 13
208	208
209	209	(c) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the rentals, rates, fees, 14
210	210	tolls, and other charges and revenues are not subject to supervision or regulation by any 15
211	211	instrumentality, agency, or unit of this State or any of its political subdivisions. 16
212	212
213	213	(2) This subtitle does not permit the exercise of any power or the 17
214	214	undertaking of any activity that would conflict with the provisions and limitations of the 18
215	215	federal Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964. 19
216	216
217	217	(3) Tolls for the use of the bridge carrying the John F. Kennedy Memorial 20
218	218	Highway over the Susquehanna River may not be less than the comparable tolls charged 21
219	219	for the use of the Susquehanna River Bridge. 22
220	220
221	221	(4) Prior to fixing or revising tolls on any part of any transportation 23
222	222	facilities project, the Authority shall provide, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 24
223	223	Government Article, to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, Senate Finance 25
224	224	Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and House Ways and Means Committee 26
225	225	information on the proposed toll charges, including: 27
226	226
227	227	(i) The annual revenues generated by the toll charges; 28
228	228
229	229	(ii) The proposed use of the revenues; and 29
230	230
231	231	(iii) The proposed commuter discount rates. 30
232	232
233	233	(5) THE DEPARTMENT MAY USE AN Y REVENUE DISTRIBUTE D TO THE 31
234	234	TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES OVERAGE ACCOUNT IN THE TRANSPORTATION 32 6 HOUSE BILL 1068
235	235
236	236
237	237	TRUST FUND UNDER SUBSECTION (B–1) OF THIS SECTION AS A UTHORIZED UNDER § 1
238	238	3–216(D)(6) OF THIS ARTICLE. 2
239	239
240	240	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
241	241	October 1, 2025. 4