Residential and Commuter Toll Fairness Act of 2011

Residential and Commuter Toll Fairness Act of 2011 - Grants a public authority the authority to carry out a program that offers discounts in transportation tolls to individuals who are residents of, or regular commuters to, a U.S. locality on an island, peninsula, or other area where transportation access is substantially constrained by geography and subject to a transportation toll to access or depart the locality (captive tollpayers).

Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to: (1) limit any other authority of a public authority, including the authority to offer discounts in transportation tolls to other tollpayers; or (2) affect, alter, or limit the applicability of state or local law with respect to the authority of a public authority to impose toll discounts.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 792 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 792

To clarify the existing authority of, and as necessary provide express 
      authorization for, public authorities to offer discounts in 
  transportation tolls to captive tollpayers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2011

  Mr. Weiner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To clarify the existing authority of, and as necessary provide express 
      authorization for, public authorities to offer discounts in 
  transportation tolls to captive tollpayers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Residential and Commuter Toll 
Fairness Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Residents of, and regular commuters to, certain 
        localities in the United States are subject to a transportation 
        toll when using a transportation facility to access or depart 
        the locality.
            (2) Revenue generated from these tolls is sometimes used to 
        support infrastructure maintenance and capital improvement 
        projects that benefit not only the users of these 
        transportation facilities, but the regional and national 
        economy as well.
            (3) Certain localities in the United States are situated on 
        islands, peninsulas, or other areas in which transportation 
        access is substantially constrained by geography, sometimes 
        leaving residents of, or regular commuters to, these localities 
        with no reasonable means of accessing or departing their 
        neighborhood or place of employment without paying a 
        transportation toll.
            (4) Residents of, or regular commuters to, these localities 
        often pay far more for transportation access than residents of, 
        and commuters to, other areas for similar transportation 
        options, and these increased transportation costs can impose a 
        significant and unfair burden on these residents and commuters.
            (5) To address this inequality, and to reduce the financial 
        hardship often imposed on captive tollpayers, several public 
        authorities have developed and implemented programs to provide 
        discounts in transportation tolls.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to clarify the existing authority of, 
and as necessary provide express authorization for, public authorities 
to offer discounts in transportation tolls to captive tollpayers.

SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION TOLLS.

    (a) Authority To Provide Discounts.--A public authority is 
authorized to carry out a program that offers discounts in 
transportation tolls to captive tollpayers.
    (b) Limitations on Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this Act may 
be construed to--
            (1) limit any other authority of a public authority, 
        including the authority to offer discounts in transportation 
        tolls to other tollpayers; or
            (2) affect, alter, or limit the applicability of a State or 
        local law with respect to the authority of a public authority 
        to impose toll discounts.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Captive tollpayer.--The term ``captive tollpayer'' 
        means an individual who--
                    (A) is a resident of, or regular commuter to, a 
                locality in the United States that is situated on an 
                island, peninsula, or other area where transportation 
                access is substantially constrained by geography; and
                    (B) is subject to a transportation toll when using 
                a transportation facility to access or depart the 
                locality.
            (2) Public authority.--The term ``public authority'' has 
        the meaning given that term by section 101 of title 23, United 
        States Code.
            (3) Transportation facility.--The term ``transportation 
        facility'' includes a road, highway, bridge, rail, bus, or 
        ferry facility.
            (4) Transportation toll.--The term ``transportation toll'' 
        means a toll or fare required for use of a transportation 
        facility.
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