Local Funding for Vulnerable Road User Protection

Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill authorizes a county, city and county, or municipality or a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights exempt enterprise created by a city, city and county, or municipality (local government) to generate additional fee-based funding for local transportation system strategies that improve safety for vulnerable road users (vulnerable road user protection strategies). Specifically, the bill:

• Authorizes a local government to impose additional local motor vehicle registration fees, up to specified maximum amounts that are annually adjusted for inflation or deflation, on passenger cars and light trucks (fees);
• Allows fees to be first imposed beginning with a motor vehicle registration period beginning on January 1, 2026, or January 1 of a later year, with adjustments to fee amounts only taking effect beginning on a subsequent January 1, and imposed in amounts that are:
• Based on the weight of a passenger car or light truck, and, in the sole discretion of a local government, fuel-efficiency, with fees being higher for heavier motor vehicles and, for motor vehicles in the same weight class, light trucks and, if applicable, less fuel-efficient motor vehicles; and
• Reasonably calculated based on the impacts to vulnerable road users caused by fee payers and the costs of remediating those impacts by funding vulnerable road user protection strategies;
• Requires fee revenue to be credited to a dedicated local cash fund or account and expended only for vulnerable road user protection strategies, which include infrastructure projects, including active transportation network projects that meet specified criteria, and local transit improvements and enhancements;
• Authorizes and encourages local governments to consider equity, meaning fairness in mobility and accessibility to meet the needs of all community members through the provision of equitable levels of access to affordable and reliable transportation options based on the needs of the populations being served;
• Requires each local government that imposes fees to provide its fee schedule to the department of revenue so that the department can collect the fees on behalf of the local government and distribute fee revenue to the local government; and
• Allows a local government, in its sole discretion and pursuant to written criteria adopted by the local government, to reduce or waive fees for a motor vehicle owner who establishes economic hardship.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)