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| ARTICLE 22 AS AMENDED |
| ARTICLE ______ |
| RELATING TO PUBLIC TRANSIT |
| SECTION 1. Section 39-18-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-18 entitled "Rhode |
| Island Public Transit Authority" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 39-18-4. Powers and duties of the authority. -- (a) The authority is hereby authorized |
| and empowered: |
| (1) To adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business; |
| (2) To adopt an official seal and alter the seal at pleasure; |
| (3) To maintain an office at such place or places within the state as it may designate; |
| (4) To sue and be sued in its own name, plead and to be implead; provided, however, |
| that any and all actions against the authority shall be brought only in the county in which the |
| principal office of the authority shall be located; |
| (5) To acquire, purchase, hold, use, and dispose of any property, real, personal, or mixed, |
| tangible or intangible, or any interest therein necessary or desirable for carrying out the purposes |
| of the authority, and, to lease as lessee or lessor any property, real, personal or mixed, or any |
| interest therein for such term and at such rental as the authority may deem fair and reasonable, |
| and to sell, transfer, convey, mortgage, or give a security interest in any property, real, personal, |
| or mixed, tangible or intangible, or any interest therein, at any time acquired by the authority; |
| (6) To employ, in its discretion, planning, architectural, and engineering consultants, |
| attorneys, accountants, construction, financial, transportation, and traffic experts and consultants, |
| superintendents, managers, and such other officers, employees, and agents as may be necessary in |
| its judgment, and to fix their compensation; |
| (7) (i) To fix from time to time, subject to the provisions of this chapter, schedules and |
| such rates of fare and charges for service furnished or operated as in its judgment are best adopted |
| to insure sufficient income to meet the cost of service; provided, however, the authority is not |
| empowered to operate a passenger vehicle under its control in competition with passenger |
| vehicles of a private carrier over routes which the private carrier operates pursuant to a certificate |
| of public convenience and necessity issued to the private carrier by the division of public utilities |
| and carriers; and provided further that the authority shall not require any person who meets the |
| means test criteria as defined by the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs and who is |
| either sixty-five (65) years of age, or over, or who is disabled to pay more than one-half (1/2) of |
| any fare or charge for bus rides during peak hours; provided, however, that such exclusion for |
| under no circumstances shall fares or charges shall not apply: (A) to for special service routes be |
| discounted and (B) during periods and routes of overcrowded conditions. Any person who is |
| either sixty-five (65) years of age, or over, or who is disabled, and who meets the means test |
| criteria as heretofore provided, shall not be required to pay any fare or charge for bus rides during |
| off-peak hours, and any person who is either sixty-five (65) years of age, or over, or who is |
| disabled, and who does not satisfy the means test criteria as heretofore provided, shall only be |
| required to pay one-half (1/2) of the fare or charge for bus rides during off-peak hours, but shall |
| not be eligible for a reduction during peak hours. For the purposes of this chapter, "overcrowded |
| conditions," "peak hours," "off-peak hours" and "special service routes" shall be determined |
| annually by the authority. The authority, in conjunction with the department of human services, |
| shall establish an advisory committee comprised of seniors/persons with disabilities constituent |
| users of the authority's services to assist in the implementation of this section; |
| (ii) Any person who accompanies and is assisting a person with a disability when the |
| person with a disability uses a wheelchair shall be eligible for the same price exemptions |
| extended to a person with a disability by subsection (7)(i). The cost to the authority for providing |
| the service to the elderly shall be paid by the state; |
| (iii) Any person who accompanies and is assisting a passenger who is blind or visually |
| impaired shall be eligible for the same price exemptions extended to the passenger who is blind or |
| visually impaired by subsection (7)(i). The cost to the authority for providing the service to the |
| elderly shall be paid by the state; |
| (iv) The authority shall be authorized and empowered to charge a fare for any paratransit |
| services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. ยง 12101 et seq., in |
| accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 37. |
| (8) To borrow money and to issue bonds of the authority for any of its purposes |
| including, without limitation, the borrowing of money in anticipation of the issuance of bonds or |
| the receipt of any operating revenues or other funds or property to be received by the authority, |
| and the financing of property to be owned by others and used, in whole or substantial part, by the |
| authority for any of its purposes, all as may from time to time, be authorized by resolution of the |
| authority; the bonds to contain on their face a statement to the effect that neither the state nor any |
| municipality or other political subdivision of the state shall be obligated to pay the same or the |
| interest thereon; |
| (9) To enter into management contracts for the operation, management, and supervision |
| of any or all transit properties under the jurisdiction of the authority, and to make and enter into |
| all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the |
| execution of its powers under this chapter; |
| (10) Without limitation of the foregoing, to borrow money from, to receive and accept |
| grants for or in aid of the purchase, leasing, improving, equipping, furnishing, maintaining, |
| repairing, constructing, and operating of transit property, and to enter into contracts, leases, or |
| other transactions with any federal agency; and to receive and accept from the state, from any |
| municipality, or other political subdivision thereof, and from any other source, aid or |
| contributions of either money, property, labor, or other things of value, to be held, used and |
| applied only for the purposes for which the grants and contributions may be made; |
| (11) To acquire in the name of the authority, by negotiated purchase or otherwise, on |
| such terms and conditions and in such manner as it may deem proper, or by the exercise of the |
| power of condemnation to the extent only and in the manner as provided in this chapter, such |
| public and private lands, including public parks, playgrounds or reservations, or parts thereof, or |
| rights therein, rights-of-way, property rights, easements, and interests as it may deem necessary |
| for carrying out the provisions of this chapter; provided, however, that all public property |
| damaged in carrying out the powers granted by this chapter shall be restored or repaired and |
| placed in its original condition as nearly as practicable; |
| (12) To contract with any municipality, public or private company or organization, |
| whereby the authority will receive a subsidy to avoid discontinuance of service, and each |
| municipality within the state is hereby authorized to make and enter into such contracts and to |
| make, grant, or give to the authority a subsidy in such amount and for such period of time as it |
| may deem advisable; |
| (13) To operate service to nearby Massachusetts and nearby Connecticut terminals for |
| the purpose of deboarding Rhode Island passengers at major traffic generating locations for the |
| benefit of passengers and to board Rhode Islanders for the return trip, provided, however, that the |
| authority operate closed door in Massachusetts and nearby Connecticut to and from its |
| destination; and |
| (14) To do all things necessary, convenient, or desirable to carry out the purpose of this |
| chapter. |
| (b) To effectuate the purposes of this chapter the authority shall have the following |
| duties: |
| (1) To participate in and contribute to transportation planning initiatives that are relevant |
| to the purposes of the authority; |
| (2) To plan, coordinate, develop, operate, maintain and manage a statewide public transit |
| system consistent with the purposes of the authority, including plans to meet demands for public |
| transit where such demand, current or prospective, exceeds supply and/or availability of public |
| transit services; |
| (3) To work with departments, agencies, authorities and corporations of federal, state and |
| local government, public and private institutions, businesses, non-profit organization, users of the |
| system and other entities and persons to coordinate public transit services and provide a seamless |
| network of mobility options. |
| SECTION 2. This article shall take effect October 1, 2015. |