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Senate Transportation panel passes toll-rate bill with EZPass discounts, preserves rate-raising review
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Summary
The Senate Transportation Committee passed SB627 as amended to allow EZPass customer discounts and to preserve rate-increase authority with the Executive Council; DOT testified New Hampshire EZPass registration, not residence, determines discounted tolls and the bill includes a 180-day free EZPass window.
The Senate Transportation Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 627 as amended, advancing a package of toll-rate adjustments intended to fund safety and improvements to Interstate 93 and the turnpike system.
Chair said the legislation would not raise tolls for in-state New Hampshire EZPass account holders and described an amendment that keeps the authority to raise toll rates with the Executive Council rather than transferring unrestricted authority to the Department of Transportation. The committee voted in favor and recorded no opposition on the floor motion to pass the bill as amended.
Assistant Commissioner David Audrey of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation told the committee the lower, discounted toll rates will apply to “anyone who registers for a New Hampshire EZPass account,” whether the registrant is a state resident or an out-of-state driver who chooses a New Hampshire account. “That’s how we do the differentiation,” Audrey said, adding the approach is consistent with other states and avoids violating interstate-commerce constraints.
The bill's sponsor said the measure is intended to provide revenue for road and bridge safety projects. The sponsor also told members the department has offered a 180-day window after passage providing free registration of EZPass accounts for New Hampshire drivers who do not already have one.
Committee members discussed freight-hauler impacts and indexing language. One member said the committee had removed indexing language from an earlier draft and warned that failing to index user charges leaves the state vulnerable to recurring funding shortfalls; the senator nonetheless supported the amendment to move the bill forward.
The chair indicated she would take the bill out of consent to deliver remarks on the Senate floor after committee passage. The measure will proceed to the next stage of consideration in the Senate.
Ending: Committee action advances SB627 as amended; the chair plans a floor statement and the bill will be scheduled for further Senate consideration.
