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Bill

S 4915

Establishes a central business district toll exemption for first responders

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Establishes a CBD toll exemption for first responders, cutting toll costs and delays for police, fire, and EMS during official duties.

REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION
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Bill Summary · S 4915

Summary of Bill S 4915 — "Establishes a central business district toll exemption for first responders"

Overview

Bill S 4915 would establish a toll exemption for first responders related to toll facilities serving a designated central business district (CBD). The stated aim is to reduce the out-of-pocket costs or operational delays for first responders when they operate within or toward the CBD area served by toll facilities.

Purpose and intent

  • Provide toll exemptions to eligible first responders in connection with travel within a central business district tolling framework.
  • Recognize and support first responder operations by alleviating routine toll costs or impediments associated with urgent or official duties in the CBD.

Key provisions (as indicated by the bill’s title and description)

  • Establishment of a toll exemption program specific to first responders within a CBD tolling context.
  • Creation of eligibility criteria for first responders (e.g., designation by a public safety agency, official duties, vehicle type), though exact criteria are not provided in the information available.
  • Definition of the toll facilities and CBD boundaries affected by the exemption (precisely which roads, bridges, or tunnels and the CBD area are covered is not specified here).
  • Administrative framework for implementing and administering the exemption (verification of eligibility, processing of toll exemptions, and oversight) is implied but not detailed in the provided content.
  • Potential reporting, compliance, and enforcement provisions to prevent misuse (not specified in the provided text).

Affected parties

  • Primary: First responders (police, fire, emergency medical services) who travel in or toward the CBD toll facilities.
  • Tolling authorities/operators and CBD travelers who would be affected by the exemption.
  • Potentially, public safety agencies that would participate in verifying eligibility and usage.

Legislative status and timeline

  • Introduced: November 30, 2025.
  • Status: REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION.
  • Legislative actions listed show a referral to Transportation on February 14, 2025 (two entries), which appears to precede the introduced date and indicates formal committee consideration so far. This chronology appears inconsistent and may reflect a prior-session track or a clerical discrepancy.
  • Sponsor: Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (primary).

Related bills

  • S 8538 (prior-session) — related legislation.
  • A 1599 (companion) — appears as a related companion bill in the Assembly (listed twice).

Potential impact and considerations

  • Benefits: Could reduce costs for first responders and streamline rapid CBD mobility during official duties.
  • Fiscal impact: Not specified; would depend on funding, anticipated toll revenue loss, and implementation costs.
  • Policy questions to resolve (not provided in the excerpt): exact eligibility, CBD and toll facility definitions, duration/sunset provisions, funding sources, interaction with existing toll programs or exemptions, and data/privacy/verification requirements.

If you’d like, I can draft a more detailed hypothetical provision outline (e.g., draft eligibility criteria, suggested sunset clause, and reporting requirements) based on standard practices for toll exemptions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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