Freedom from Tolls Act of 2011

Freedom from Tolls Act of 2011 - Prohibits the use of highway funds to impose a toll on any segment of a federal-aid system highway that as of enactment of this Act: (1) has had its construction completed, (2) is not tolled, (3) was constructed with federal assistance, and (4) is in actual operation. Excepts from this prohibition, thus allowing tolls on, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes as well as any highway segment that, as of the date on which a toll is imposed on it, will have the same number of non-toll lanes as were in existence before that date.

Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to decrease from three to two the number of facilities a state may establish on a highway, bridge, or tunnel on the Interstate System to collect tolls for reconstructing and rehabilitating Interstate highway corridors under the Interstate System reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 190 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 190

 To amend title 23, United States Code, to prohibit the imposition of 
      new tolls on the Federal-aid system, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 26, 2011

Mrs. Hutchison introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, to prohibit the imposition of 
      new tolls on the Federal-aid system, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom from Tolls Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF NEW TOLLS ON FEDERAL-AID SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--Section 129 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Exception for Existing Highway Segments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        none of the funds made available to carry out this title shall 
        be used to approve or otherwise authorize the imposition of any 
        toll on any segment of highway located on the Federal-aid 
        system--
                    ``(A) the construction of which has been completed 
                as of the date of enactment of this subsection;
                    ``(B) that, as of the date of enactment of this 
                subsection, is not tolled;
                    ``(C) that was constructed with Federal assistance 
                provided under this title; and
                    ``(D) that is in actual operation as of the date of 
                enactment of this subsection.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--
                    ``(A) Number of toll lanes.--Paragraph (1) shall 
                not apply to any segment of highway on the Federal-aid 
                system described in that paragraph that, as of the date 
                on which a toll is imposed on the segment, will have 
                the same number of non-toll lanes as were in existence 
                prior to that date.
                    ``(B) High-occupancy vehicle lanes.--A high-
                occupancy vehicle lane that is converted to a toll lane 
                shall not be subject to this subsection, and shall not 
                be considered to be a non-toll lane for purposes of 
                determining whether a highway will have fewer non-toll 
                lanes than prior to the date of imposition of the toll, 
                if--
                            ``(i) high-occupancy vehicles occupied by 
                        the number of passengers specified by the 
                        entity operating the toll lane may use the toll 
                        lane without paying a toll, unless otherwise 
                        specified by the appropriate county, town, 
                        municipal or other local government entity, or 
                        public toll road or transit authority; or
                            ``(ii) each high-occupancy vehicle lane 
                        that was converted to a toll lane was 
                        constructed as a temporary lane to be replaced 
                        by a toll lane under a plan approved by the 
                        appropriate county, town, municipal or other 
                        local government entity, or public toll road or 
                        transit authority.''.
    (b) Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot 
Program.--Section 1216(b)(2) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 
21st Century (23 U.S.C. 129 note; 112 Stat. 212) is amended by striking 
``3 facilities'' and inserting ``2 facilities''.
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