SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3526

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3526.

      As amended and reported, this bill amends current law that established the Mobility and Transportation Innovation Pilot Program (program) to make the program a permanent program and to expand the program’s ability to award grants to local government units and transit agencies to fund public transportation projects throughout the State.  Under current law, the program is only authorized to award grants to local government units and transit agencies to fund public transportation projects within Mercer County.

     The bill also establishes additional criteria for the Commissioner of Transportation (commissioner) to consider when approving applications for the program.  Specifically, the commissioner is required to consider the degree to which the proposed transportation projects: (1) improve transit system performance; (2) remove barriers to mobility, especially for travelers with disabilities and those without a personal vehicle; (3) improve mobility in disadvantaged communities, such as low-income areas and areas lacking existing public transportation; (4) accelerate deployment of advanced transit technologies, including shared-use mobility services; (5) deliver economic benefits through enhanced mobility; (6) improve safety by reducing roadway collisions; and (7) improve environmental sustainability, particularly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

     The bill provides that in order to qualify for a program grant, the transportation project is required to: (1) enable persons without a smartphone or credit card to access transportation services made available through the project; and (2) include wheelchair-accessible vehicles and an accessible mobile application as accessibility features that accommodate the mobility needs of persons with disabilities.

     Additionally, the bill amends current law to require the department to submit a report annually to the Governor and Legislature that describes each project for which a program grant was awarded, specifies the amount of each grant award, and assesses the performance of the program.

     Finally, the bill appropriates $20 million from the General Fund to the Department of Transportation to support the program, which is in addition to $2 million that was appropriated to the program when the program was first established.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) clarify that the program is a permanent program instead of a pilot program, as previously named;

      (2) require the submission of an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature detailing the operations of the program;

      (3) make a grammatical correction; and

      (4) update the bill’s synopsis and title.