09-R185
2009 -- H 6129
Enacted 04/23/09
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
REQUESTING THE
Introduced
By: Representatives
Date Introduced: April 22, 2009
WHEREAS, This General
Assembly in 2007 previously "hereby found and declared as
follows:….(6) The state's public transit system should provide
a variety of mobility options for
people that include services for people with special
needs…", Rhode Island Public Law 2007
Chapter 504 Section 2 and Chapter 518 Section 2,
and
WHEREAS,
Public Utilities and Carriers – Public Transit
Authority and Chapter 518 (2007 -- H 6471) An Act
Relating to Public Utilities and Carriers – Public
Transit Authority authorized the
Public Transit Authority to "provide public
transit services that meet mobility needs of the people
of the state, including the elderly and disabled"
and "To effectuate the purposes of this chapter the
authority shall have the following duties: (1) To participate in
and contribute to transportation
planning initiatives that are relevant to the purposes of the
authority; (2) To plan, coordinate,
develop, operate, maintain and manage a statewide public
transit system consistent with the
purposes of the authority, including plans to meet demands for
public transit where such demand,
current or prospective, exceeds supply and/or availability of
public transit services; (3) To work
with departments, agencies, authorities and corporations
of federal, state and local government,
public and private institutions, businesses, non-profit
organization, users of the system and other
entities and persons to coordinate public transit services and
provide a seamless network of
mobility options"; and
WHEREAS, The February
2008 Report A Coordinated Plan for Public
Transit-Human
Services Transportation in RI's Summary of Identified Needs found:
"More
transportation options allowing persons with disabilities to use community
resources and take part in community activities (e.g. evenings,
weekends);
Expand RIde trip eligibility to include non-medical
transportation;
Social/group transport,
especially groups of disabled young adults;
Consider service for
persons with disabilities outside the
Affordability is an
issue for many (reduce
Volunteer driver
programs need more support (offset costs, driver recruitment); and
Need on-demand
wheelchair accessible taxi service throughout RI"; and
WHEREAS, The February
2008 Report A Coordinated Plan for Public
Transit-Human
Services Transportation in RI's Objective 4 Improve Transportation Options
"Beyond the
Potential Strategies & Projects are:
"(1) Make
accessible cabs available to provide on-demand wheelchair accessible taxi
service throughout
(2) Support Mobility
Management and coordination programs (including planning
activities, service promotion, individualized travel training,
information centers, and planning for
enhanced technologies);
(3) Provide accessible
vehicle(s) for social outing, accommodating more than two
wheelchair passengers, particularly for groups of youth with
disabilities;
(4) Extend service hours
for RIde users;
(5) Provide the elderly,
persons with disabilities and low income people with
transportation options for any trip purpose (social/recreational,
errands, voting, work, medical,
etc.);
(6) Improve/expand elder
transportation in rural areas;
(7) Improve airport
information on accessible transit;
(8) Review alternatives
to allow RIPTA and RIde to cross state lines
especially for
employment or medical trips;
(9) Enhance the level of
service by providing escorts or "door-to-door" service; and
(10) Evaluate
feasibility of program to provide taxi coupons/vouchers where disabled
individuals have the option to pay a share of higher trip costs
in exchange for greater
convenience"; and
WHEREAS, Federal Funds
are available through the New Freedom Program, authorized
in Safe Accountable Flexible and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act, a Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA-LU) to support new public transportation
services and public transportation
alternatives beyond those required by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990,
including eighty percent of the purchase of wheelchair
accessible vehicles and fifty percent of the
planning and operation of a statewide transportation program
for individuals who need
wheelchair accessible vehicles; and
WHEREAS, Section 44-54-1
Tax credit, provides small business taxpayers that "incurs
expenses to provide access to persons with disabilities shall
be allowed a credit,…equal to ten
percent of the total amount expended in the state of
no event shall exceed the sum of one thousand dollars
($1,000) for: (1) removing architectural,
communication, physical, or transportation barriers…."; and
WHEREAS, Section 44 of
the Internal Revenue Code assists small businesses cover
ADA-related eligible access expenditures including:
removal of architectural barriers in facilities
or vehicles equal to fifty percent of the eligible
access expenditures in a year, up to a maximum
expenditure of ten thousand two hundred fifty dollars; and
WHEREAS,
An Act Relating to Public Utilities and Carriers --
Accessible Taxicabs and
Law 2007 Chapter 163 (2007 -- H 5371 Substitute B) An Act Relating to Public Utilities and
Carriers -- Handicapped Accessible Taxicabs provides a
use tax credit from the sale of (a) special
adaptations, (b) the component parts of the special adaptations,
for a "wheelchair accessible
taxicab" as defined in section 39-14-1 and/or a
"wheelchair accessible public motor vehicle" as
defined in section 39-14.1-1 not to exceed the amount of use
tax that would otherwise be due on
the motor vehicle, exclusive of any adaptations, The use
tax credit is equal to the cost of the
special adaptations, including installation; now, therefore
be it
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives of the State of
Providence Plantations
hereby directs the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority in consultation
with the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers and the
Governor's Commission on Disabilities
to submit a detailed implementation plan for a statewide
New Freedom funded program to reduce
barriers to transportation services and expand the
transportation mobility options available to
people with disabilities that need wheelchair accessible transportation
beyond the requirements of
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990,
including a detailed implementation
schedule to begin such service on or before September 1, 2009;
and be it further
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives directs that the
Rhode Island Public
Transit Authority shall
report its findings and recommendations to the Speaker and to the Chairs
of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Corporations
of the House of Representatives
no later than June 15, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the
General Manager of the
Public Transit Authority,
the Administrator of the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, and
the Executive Secretary of the Governor's Commission on
Disabilities.
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LC02528
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