In the near future, we will introduce multi-faceted legislation to sharply increase penalties on habitual offenders who racketed up thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike system, burdening the fiduciary responsibility of the Turnpike Commission and honest toll payers.  
 
The General Assembly established the Turnpike Commission to build and maintain America’s First Superhighway, which opened in 1940 and provides a legacy of innovation and technological advancement. Today’s superhighway is a sprawling 565-mile network of limited access toll roads reliant on electronic toll services. E-ZPass customers receive a 50 percent discount for traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, whereas travelers without E-ZPass receive a higher invoice in the mail under the Turnpike Commission’s Toll-By-Plate program. The legislature has acted in the past to rein in electronic toll evasion, such as suspending the registration of vehicles with unpaid tolls reaching $250. With the next generation of electronic toll services under Open Road Tolling, lawmakers must equip the Turnpike Commission with new tools to end the intentional practice of traveling on toll roads and fleeing the tolls.
 
Our legislation will form a three-tier penalty structure to end serious toll evasion. The first penalty creates a criminal trespassing offense on toll evaders who willfully operate a vehicle on the toll road with a registration suspension for the same crime. The second penalty establishes a theft of toll road offense on toll evaders who intentionally operate a vehicle on the toll road with a registration suspension and keep stealing from the Turnpike Commission. The last penalty imposes a serious fare evasion offense, punishable up to a felony of the third degree, for the endless and deliberate intrusion on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with unpaid tolls exceeding $10,000.
 
To ensure its effectiveness, our legislation will direct the Turnpike Commission to prepare an annual report on the trends and enforcement of suspended vehicle registrations from unpaid tolls. We continue to hear from constituents who are concerned with rising costs impacting their finances, including rising costs on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that can be controlled with modern solutions. This legislation will improve accountability and crack down on serious repeat violators who continue to exploit Open Road Tolling, resulting in more than $200 million in uncollected tolls. We will also enhance the effectiveness of receiving timely invoices and communications from the Turnpike Commission, including email and expedited mail services.  
 
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a treasure of the Commonwealth, which provides an extraordinary travel network for family vacations, business trips and interstate commerce. The transition towards automation of toll services requires new solutions to enforce the criminal behavior of toll evasion, trespassing and theft of services. Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation to sustain the modern marvel of the superhighway and limit its use to individuals and companies who pay their tolls.