I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 792 
To clarify the existing authority of, and as necessary provide express author-
ization for, public authorities to offer discounts in transportation tolls 
to captive tollpayers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2011 
Mr. WEINER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To clarify the existing authority of, and as necessary provide 
express authorization for, public authorities to offer dis-
counts in transportation tolls to captive tollpayers, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Residential and Com-
muter Toll Fairness Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Residents of, and regular commuters to, 
certain localities in the United States are subject to 
a transportation toll when using a transportation fa-
cility to access or depart the locality. 
(2) Revenue generated from these tolls is some-
times used to support infrastructure maintenance 
and capital improvement projects that benefit not 
only the users of these transportation facilities, but 
the regional and national economy as well. 
(3) Certain localities in the United States are 
situated on islands, peninsulas, or other areas in 
which transportation access is substantially con-
strained by geography, sometimes leaving residents 
of, or regular commuters to, these localities with no 
reasonable means of accessing or departing their 
neighborhood or place of employment without paying 
a transportation toll. 
(4) Residents of, or regular commuters to, these 
localities often pay far more for transportation ac-
cess than residents of, and commuters to, other 
areas for similar transportation options, and these 
increased transportation costs can impose a signifi-
cant and unfair burden on these residents and com-
muters. 
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(5) To address this inequality, and to reduce 
the financial hardship often imposed on captive 
tollpayers, several public authorities have developed 
and implemented programs to provide discounts in 
transportation tolls. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to clarify the existing au-
thority of, and as necessary provide express authorization 
for, public authorities to offer discounts in transportation 
tolls to captive tollpayers. 
SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION TOLLS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE DISCOUNTS.—A public 
authority is authorized to carry out a program that offers 
discounts in transportation tolls to captive tollpayers. 
(b) LIMITATIONS ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 
Nothing in this Act may be construed to— 
(1) limit any other authority of a public author-
ity, including the authority to offer discounts in 
transportation tolls to other tollpayers; or 
(2) affect, alter, or limit the applicability of a 
State or local law with respect to the authority of a 
public authority to impose toll discounts. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
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(1) CAPTIVE TOLLPAYER.—The term ‘‘captive 
tollpayer’’ means an individual who— 
(A) is a resident of, or regular commuter 
to, a locality in the United States that is situ-
ated on an island, peninsula, or other area 
where transportation access is substantially 
constrained by geography; and 
(B) is subject to a transportation toll when 
using a transportation facility to access or de-
part the locality. 
(2) PUBLIC AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘public au-
thority’’ has the meaning given that term by section 
101 of title 23, United States Code. 
(3) TRANSPORTATION
FACILITY.—The term 
‘‘transportation facility’’ includes a road, highway, 
bridge, rail, bus, or ferry facility. 
(4) TRANSPORTATION TOLL.—The term ‘‘trans-
portation toll’’ means a toll or fare required for use 
of a transportation facility. 
Æ 
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