Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0046 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- S 0046
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7	7	LC000764
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX
16	16	Introduced By: Senators Zurier, Kallman, Acosta, Ujifusa, and Gu
17	17	Date Introduced: January 23, 2025
18	18	Referred To: Senate Finance
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21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 31-36-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-36 entitled "Motor Fuel 1
23	23	Tax" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	31-36-20. Disposition of proceeds. 3
25	25	(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all moneys paid into the 4
26	26	general treasury under the provisions of this chapter or chapter 37 of this title, and title 46 shall be 5
27	27	applied to and held in a separate fund and be deposited in any depositories that may be selected by 6
28	28	the general treasurer to the credit of the fund, which fund shall be known as the Intermodal Surface 7
29	29	Transportation Fund; provided, that in fiscal year 2004 for the months of July through April six and 8
30	30	eighty-five hundredth cents ($0.0685) per gallon of the tax imposed and accruing for the liability 9
31	31	under the provisions of § 31-36-7, less refunds and credits, shall be transferred to the Rhode Island 10
32	32	public transit authority as provided under § 39-18-21. For the months of May and June in fiscal 11
33	33	year 2004, the allocation shall be five and five hundredth cents ($0.0505). Thereafter, until fiscal 12
34	34	year 2006, the allocation shall be six and twenty-five hundredth cents ($0.0625). For fiscal years 13
35	35	2006 through FY 2008, the allocation shall be seven and twenty-five hundredth cents ($0.0725); 14
36	36	provided, that expenditures shall include the costs of a market survey of non-transit users and a 15
37	37	management study of the agency to include the feasibility of moving the Authority into the 16
38	38	Department of Transportation, both to be conducted under the auspices of the state budget officer. 17
39	39	The state budget officer shall hire necessary consultants to perform the studies, and shall direct 18
40	40	payment by the Authority. Both studies shall be transmitted by the Budget Officer to the 2006 19
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44	44	session of the General Assembly, with comments from the Authority. For fiscal year 2009, the 1
45	45	allocation shall be seven and seventy-five hundredth cents ($0.0775), of which one-half cent 2
46	46	($0.005) shall be derived from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon environmental protection fee 3
47	47	pursuant to § 46-12.9-11. For fiscal years 2010 and thereafter through 2025, the allocation shall be 4
48	48	nine and seventy-five hundredth cents ($0.0975), of which of one-half cent ($0.005) shall be 5
49	49	derived from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon environmental protection fee pursuant to § 46-12.9-6
50	50	11. For fiscal years 2026 and thereafter, the allocation shall be thirty percent (30%) of the total 7
51	51	proceeds, including thirty percent (30%) derived from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon 8
52	52	environmental protection fee pursuant to § 46-12.9-11. One cent ($0.01) per gallon shall be 9
53	53	transferred to the Elderly/Disabled Transportation Program of the department of human services, 10
54	54	and the remaining cents per gallon shall be available for general revenue as determined by the 11
55	55	following schedule: 12
56	56	(i) For the fiscal year 2000, three and one-fourth cents ($0.0325) shall be available for 13
57	57	general revenue. 14
58	58	(ii) For the fiscal year 2001, one and three-fourth cents ($0.0175) shall be available for 15
59	59	general revenue. 16
60	60	(iii) For the fiscal year 2002, one-fourth cent ($0.0025) shall be available for general 17
61	61	revenue. 18
62	62	(iv) For the fiscal year 2003, two and one-fourth cent ($0.0225) shall be available for 19
63	63	general revenue. 20
64	64	(v) For the months of July through April in fiscal year 2004, one and four-tenths cents 21
65	65	($0.014) shall be available for general revenue. For the months of May through June in fiscal year 22
66	66	2004, three and two-tenths cents ($0.032) shall be available for general revenue, and thereafter, 23
67	67	until fiscal year 2006, two cents ($0.02) shall be available for general revenue. For fiscal year 2006 24
68	68	through fiscal year 2009 one cent ($0.01) shall be available for general revenue. 25
69	69	(2) All deposits and transfers of funds made by the tax administrator under this section, 26
70	70	including those to the Rhode Island public transit authority, the department of human services, the 27
71	71	Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority, and the general fund, shall be made within twenty-four 28
72	72	(24) hours of receipt or previous deposit of the funds in question. 29
73	73	(3) Commencing in fiscal year 2004, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of 30
74	74	Transportation is authorized to remit, on a monthly or less frequent basis as shall be determined by 31
75	75	the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, or his or her designee, or at the 32
76	76	election of the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, with the approval of the 33
77	77	Director of the Department of Administration, to an indenture trustee, administrator, or other third 34
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81	81	party fiduciary, in an amount not to exceed two cents ($0.02) per gallon of the gas tax imposed, in 1
82	82	order to satisfy debt service payments on aggregate bonds issued pursuant to a Joint Resolution and 2
83	83	Enactment Approving the Financing of Various Department of Transportation Projects adopted 3
84	84	during the 2003 session of the General Assembly, and approved by the Governor. 4
85	85	(4) Commencing in fiscal year 2015, three and one-half cents ($0.035) shall be transferred 5
86	86	to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to be used for maintenance, operations, capital 6
87	87	expenditures and debt service on any of its projects as defined in chapter 12 of title 24 in lieu of a 7
88	88	toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge. The Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority is authorized to 8
89	89	remit to an indenture trustee, administrator, or other third-party fiduciary any or all of the foregoing 9
90	90	transfers in order to satisfy and/or secure its revenue bonds and notes and/or debt service payments 10
91	91	thereon, including, but not limited to, the bonds and notes issued pursuant to the Joint Resolution 11
92	92	set forth in Section 3 of Article 6 of Chapter 23 of the Public Laws of 2010. Notwithstanding any 12
93	93	other provision of said Joint Resolution, the Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority is expressly 13
94	94	authorized to issue bonds and notes previously authorized under said Joint Resolution for the 14
95	95	purpose of financing all expenses incurred by it for the formerly authorized tolling of the Sakonnet 15
96	96	River Bridge and the termination thereof. 16
97	97	(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all other funds in the fund 17
98	98	shall be dedicated to the department of transportation, subject to annual appropriation by the general 18
99	99	assembly. The director of transportation shall submit to the general assembly, budget office and 19
100	100	office of the governor annually an accounting of all amounts deposited in and credited to the fund 20
101	101	together with a budget for proposed expenditures for the succeeding fiscal year in compliance with 21
102	102	§§ 35-3-1 and 35-3-4. On order of the director of transportation, the state controller is authorized 22
103	103	and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payments of any sum or 23
104	104	portion of the sum that may be required from time to time upon receipt of properly authenticated 24
105	105	vouchers. 25
106	106	(c) At any time the amount of the fund is insufficient to fund the expenditures of the 26
107	107	department of transportation, not to exceed the amount authorized by the general assembly, the 27
108	108	general treasurer is authorized, with the approval of the governor and the director of administration, 28
109	109	in anticipation of the receipts of monies enumerated in this section to advance sums to the fund, for 29
110	110	the purposes specified in this section, any funds of the state not specifically held for any particular 30
111	111	purpose. However, all the advances made to the fund shall be returned to the general fund 31
112	112	immediately upon the receipt by the fund of proceeds resulting from the receipt of monies to the 32
113	113	extent of the advances. 33
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117	117	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
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124	124	EXPLANATION
125	125	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
126	126	OF
127	127	A N A C T
128	128	RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX
129	129	***
130	130	This act would extend through 2025 the allocation of motor fuel tax to the Intermodal 1
131	131	Surface Transportation Fund. This act would change the allocation to thirty percent (30%) of the 2
132	132	total proceeds, including thirty percent (30%) derived from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon 3
133	133	environmental protection fee pursuant to § 46-12.9-11 through 2026 and thereafter. 4
134	134	This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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