Committee hears testimony on LD 164 to exempt authorized emergency vehicles from tolls

Representative Matthew McIntyre presented LD 164 to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation on March 28, 2025, asking the committee to consider an exemption from turnpike tolls for authorized emergency vehicles when operating in an official capacity.

"This proposal, while seemingly very minor in the grand scheme, represents one small step in the right direction," McIntyre said, citing conversations with fire and EMS providers in his district and pointing to Maine Revised Statutes, Title 23, Part 1, subsection 1973(3) and (5) as background on toll authority and existing exemptions for military use.

Multiple witnesses spoke in favor. Dale Rowley, director of the Waldo County Emergency Management Agency, told the committee he believes emergency response vehicles should be exempt from paying turnpike tolls during responses and urged the committee to add county emergency-management entities to the list of authorized emergency vehicles under Title 29-A section 2054(1)(b). Rowley said county-response costs for tolls come from county budgets and are not reimbursed by the Maine Turnpike Authority.

Bill Ferdinand, an attorney with Eaton Peabody representing the Maine Ambulance Association, said ambulances perform many non‑E911 transports, including interfacility transfers, and that tolls can be a meaningful expense for individual ambulance services. "It is significant to the individual ambulance services," Ferdinand said, and indicated the association would upload written testimony.

Representative Blake asked whether non-emergency patient transports or hospital contractions would broaden the exemption; members discussed the scope of ambulance operations and transport activity across the state. McIntyre said he has held discussions with the Maine Turnpike Authority and is willing to work with stakeholders and accept reasonable amendments to the bill.

No formal committee vote or work-session action on LD 164 was recorded during the public hearing. The sponsor indicated openness to amendments and future work sessions.

The committee asked questions about reimbursement and which agencies or vehicles would be covered; witnesses suggested statutory language changes to explicitly include county emergency management mobile command posts. Erin Courtney, Director of Communications and Government & Public Relations for the Maine Turnpike, appeared during the hearing and was identified as representing the Turnpike Authority; her remarks were not included in the transcript excerpt provided.