2014 -- S 2489

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LC004235

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX

     

     Introduced By: Senators Goldin, and Pichardo

     Date Introduced: February 27, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     (RIPTA)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 31-36-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-36 entitled "Motor

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Fuel Tax" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     31-36-20. Disposition of proceeds. -- (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to

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the contrary, all moneys paid into the general treasury under the provisions of this chapter or

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chapter 37 of this title, and title 46 shall be applied to and held in a separate fund and be

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deposited in any depositories that may be selected by the general treasurer to the credit of the

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fund, which fund shall be known as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Fund; provided, that in

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fiscal year 2004 for the months of July through April six and eighty-five hundredth cents

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($0.0685) per gallon of the tax imposed and accruing for the liability under the provisions of

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section 31-36-7, less refunds and credits, shall be transferred to the Rhode Island public transit

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authority as provided under section 39-18-21. For the months of May and June in fiscal year

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2004, the allocation shall be five and five hundredth cents ($0.0505). Thereafter, until fiscal year

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2006, the allocation shall be six and twenty-five hundredth cents ($0.0625). For fiscal years 2006

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through FY 2008, the allocation shall be seven and twenty-five hundredth cents ($0.0725);

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provided, that expenditures shall include the costs of a market survey of non-transit users and a

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management study of the agency to include the feasibility of moving the Authority into the

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Department of Transportation, both to be conducted under the auspices of the state budget officer.

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The state budget officer shall hire necessary consultants to perform the studies, and shall direct

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payment by the Authority. Both studies shall be transmitted by the Budget Officer to the 2006

 

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session of the General Assembly, with comments from the Authority. For fiscal year 2009, the

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allocation shall be seven and seventy-five hundredth cents ($0.0775), of which one-half cent

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($0.005) shall be derived from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon environmental protection fee

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pursuant to section 46-12.9-11. For fiscal years 2010 and thereafter, the allocation shall be nine

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and seventy-five hundredth cents ($0.0975), of which of one-half cent ($0.005) shall be derived

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from the one cent ($0.01) per gallon environmental protection fee pursuant to section 46-12.9-11.

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Twenty-one percent (21%) of One one cent ($0.01) ($0.0021) per gallon shall be transferred to

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the Elderly/Disabled Transportation Program of the department of human services, and seventy-

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nine percent (79%) of one cent ($0.0079) shall be directly transferred to the Rhode Island public

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transit authority for the elderly/disabled transportation program and the remaining cents per

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gallon shall be available for general revenue as determined by the following schedule:

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      (i) For the fiscal year 2000, three and one fourth cents ($0.0325) shall be available for

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general revenue.

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      (ii) For the fiscal year 2001, one and three-fourth cents ($0.0175) shall be available for

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general revenue.

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      (iii) For the fiscal year 2002, one-fourth cent ($0.0025) shall be available for general

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revenue.

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      (iv) For the fiscal year 2003, two and one-fourth cent ($0.0225) shall be available for

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general revenue.

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      (v) For the months of July through April in fiscal year 2004, one and four-tenths cents

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($0.014) shall be available for general revenue. For the months of May through June in fiscal year

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2004, three and two-tenths cents ($0.032) shall be available for general revenue, and thereafter,

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until fiscal year 2006, two cents ($0.02) shall be available for general revenue. For fiscal year

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2006 through fiscal year 2009 one cent ($0.01) shall be available for general revenue.

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      (2) All deposits and transfers of funds made by the tax administrator under this section,

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including those to the Rhode Island public transit authority, the department of human services and

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the general fund, shall be made within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt or previous deposit of the

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funds in question.

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      (3) Commencing in fiscal year 2004, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of

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Transportation is authorized to remit, on a monthly or less frequent basis as shall be determined

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by the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, or his or her designee, or at the

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election of the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, with the approval of

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the Director of the Department of Administration, to an indenture trustee, administrator, or other

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third party fiduciary, in an amount not to exceed two cents ($0.02) per gallon of the gas tax

 

LC004235 - Page 2 of 3

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imposed, in order to satisfy debt service payments on aggregate bonds issued pursuant to a Joint

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Resolution and Enactment Approving the Financing of Various Department of Transportation

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Projects adopted during the 2003 session of the General Assembly, and approved by the

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Governor.

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      (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all other funds in the

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fund shall be dedicated to the department of transportation, subject to annual appropriation by the

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general assembly. The director of transportation shall submit to the general assembly, budget

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office and office of the governor annually an accounting of all amounts deposited in and credited

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to the fund together with a budget for proposed expenditures for the succeeding fiscal year in

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compliance with sections 35-3-1 and 35-3-4. On order of the director of transportation, the state

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controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the

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payments of any sum or portion of the sum that may be required from time to time upon receipt

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of properly authenticated vouchers.

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      (c) At any time the amount of the fund is insufficient to fund the expenditures of the

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department of transportation, not to exceed the amount authorized by the general assembly, the

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general treasurer is authorized, with the approval of the governor and the director of

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administration, in anticipation of the receipts of monies enumerated in section 31-36-20 to

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advance sums to the fund, for the purposes specified in section 31-36-20, any funds of the state

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not specifically held for any particular purpose. However, all the advances made to the fund shall

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be returned to the general fund immediately upon the receipt by the fund of proceeds resulting

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from the receipt of monies to the extent of the advances.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR FUEL TAX

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     This act would change the rate of allocations to the elderly/disabled transportation

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program from one cent ($0.01) per gallon to twenty-one percent of one cent ($0.0021) per gallon

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and would allocate seventy-nine percent (79%) of one cent ($0.0079) per gallon directly to the

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Rhode Island public transit authority for the elderly/disabled transportation program.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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