Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Program in EDA to provide financial assistance to certain private bus carriers and local government units; appropriates $60 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Program, supplementing P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-1 et seq.), and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
Authority means the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, established by section 4 of P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-4).
Charter service means a vehicle hired for exclusive use that does not operate over a regular route, on a regular schedule, and is not available to the general public.
Commuter bus service means the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1963, c.44 (C.54:39A-2).
Fixed route bus service means the operation of any motorbus or motorbuses on streets, public highways, or other facilities, over a fixed route and between fixed termini on a regular schedule for the purpose of carrying passengers for hire or otherwise, in this State or between points in this State and points in other states, except that the term does not include charter service.
Grant program means the Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Program, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
Local government unit means a municipality, county, or county transit agency.
Relief fund means the Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Fund, established pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
State of emergency means a natural or man-made disaster or emergency for which a state of emergency has been declared by the President of the United States or the Governor, including, but not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vehicle revenue miles means the total miles that all vehicles of a private carrier bus operator are scheduled to, or actually, travel while in revenue service for commuter bus service or fixed route bus service, including layover and recovery time, but not including deadhead, operator training, vehicle maintenance testing, and other non-revenue uses of vehicles, as such miles are reported directly to the Federal Transit Administration or indirectly through the New Jersey Transit Corporation for inclusion in the National Transit Database.
2. a. The authority shall establish and administer the Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Program to provide financial assistance to support the provision of commuter bus service and fixed route bus services by private carrier bus operators and local government units, respectively.
b. The grant program shall consist of two program components, including:
(1) the issuance of non-competitive grants to private carrier bus operators pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and
(2) the issuance of discretionary grants to local government units pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
c. Subject to the availability of funds in the Commuter and Transit Bus Relief Fund, established pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the authority may allocate funding to each component of the grant program in such amounts as the authority deems appropriate.
3. a. The grant program shall include the issuance of non-competitive grants to eligible private carrier bus operators. The grants issued under this section shall offset revenue losses that occurred as a result of a state of emergency and shall be used by each private carrier bus operator to support the operation of commuter bus service or fixed route bus service.
b. To qualify for the grant program, a private carrier bus operator shall demonstrate to the authority that the private carrier bus operator:
(1) provided commuter bus service or fixed route bus service in this State before the declaration of the state of emergency;
(2) reported greater than zero vehicle revenue miles during the year immediately preceding the date of application;
(3) experiences revenue losses associated with the provision of commuter bus service or fixed route bus service in this State as a result of the state of emergency, which revenue losses shall be calculated as the difference between the revenues collected in the year immediately preceding the state of emergency and the revenues collected in the year immediately preceding the application for the grant program, including any sources of public and private funding received during such year;
(4) is in substantial good standing with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Department of the Treasury, or has entered into an agreement with the respective department that includes a practical corrective action plan; and
(5) meets any other eligibility criteria that the authority deems appropriate.
c. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, the private carrier bus operator shall not reduce or eliminate any commuter bus service or fixed route bus service in this State during the period beginning on the date of application for the grant program and concluding six months after the end of the state of emergency or one year after the receipt of the grant, whichever occurs later.
d. A private carrier bus operator that seeks assistance under the grant program shall submit an application to the authority in a form and manner prescribed by the authority. In addition to any other information that the authority may deem appropriate, the application shall require the applicant to submit information:
(1) demonstrating that the private carrier bus operator meets the eligibility criteria established pursuant to subsection b. of this section;
(2) certifying that the private carrier bus operator acknowledges the conditions and limitations provided under subsection c. of this section;
(3) certifying the total vehicle revenue miles of the private carrier bus operator for the year immediately preceding the date of application; and
(4) outlining the anticipated uses of the grant proceeds.
e. (1) The authority shall approve all eligible applications under this section on a non-competitive basis, subject to the availability of funds from the relief fund for the program component.