Bill Text: HI SB819 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Transportation; Vehicle Miles Traveled Pilot Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-02 - (S) Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. [SB819 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2011-SB819-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
819 |
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TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The department of transportation shall establish the vehicle miles traveled pilot program.
Paying less and avoiding having to pay any liquid fuel tax are often viewed as incentives for motorists to purchase or use more fuel-efficient motor vehicles or motor vehicles that use alternative sustainable fuel sources. The liquid fuel tax, however, is the primary means of funding the infrastructure improvements needed to support motor vehicular travel, regardless of fuel type. As the use of fuel efficient and alternative energy vehicles becomes more prevalent, less gas will be consumed and liquid fuel tax collections will correspondingly diminish. The current method of assessing the motor vehicle liquid fuel tax on a per gallon basis will become less and less effective at generating a stable revenue source to fund the land transportation infrastructure program.
The current liquid fuel tax per gallon is also not indexed to account for inflation or other cost escalation factors. Political realities make it difficult to accomplish the periodic raising of the liquid fuel tax to match inflation. The net result is the continual erosion in the actual buying power of the revenue collected.
As gas prices recently rose to historic highs, demand for more fuel efficient vehicles also rose. This correlation shows that the price of gas has a far greater influence than avoidance of paying liquid fuel taxes on encouraging the use of fuel efficient vehicles and alternative energy use.
The purpose of this Act is to require the department of transportation to evaluate a vehicle miles traveled user fee and establish one or more pilot programs to test alternatives to the existing state and county system of motor vehicle fuel taxes.
SECTION 2. The department of transportation shall evaluate a vehicle miles traveled user fee as a more equitable means of assessing all users of the highway system a fee based on their actual use and impact on the highways. This approach would better correlate usage and fees and would provide a more reliable and stable source of funds to administer and manage the land transportation infrastructure system.
SECTION 3. The department of transportation shall develop one or more pilot programs to test alternatives to the current state and county system of motor vehicle fuel taxes. The pilot programs may include programs to test the reliability, ease of use, cost, and public acceptance of technology and methods for:
(1) Identifying vehicles;
(2) Collecting and reporting the number of miles traveled by particular vehicles; and
(3) Collecting payments from or making payments to participants in pilot programs.
SECTION 4. The department of taxation may refund motor vehicle fuel taxes paid by participants in pilot programs under this Act. The department of taxation may otherwise compensate participants in pilot programs under this Act. Any compensation to participants in pilot programs under this Act may be administered uniformly or may be administered as a sweepstakes. The department of taxation may terminate a pilot program at any time and may terminate participation by any person at any time. Termination from a pilot program under this Act shall not entitle any person to additional compensation.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Transportation; Vehicle Miles Traveled Pilot Program
Description:
Requires the department of transportation to evaluate a vehicle miles traveled user fee and establish one or more pilot programs to test alternatives to the existing state and county system of motor vehicle fuel taxes.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
