| Summary |
Transportation Legislation Review Committee. Statewide
transit pass exploratory committee. Section 1 of the bill creates the
statewide transit pass exploratory committee (committee) within the
department of transportation (department) to produce a viable proposal
for the creation, implementation, and administration of a statewide transit
pass. The committee is required to meet as necessary to produce a viable
proposal by July 1, 2026, with the goal of implementing a statewide
transit pass by January 1, 2028.
The committee consists of 15 members appointed by the executive
director of the department and is required to include representatives of a
diverse group of transit agencies throughout the state, a representative of
an entity or interest group involved in passenger rail systems, a
representative of an organization with a statewide perspective regarding
transportation, and 2 representatives of the department, one who is
knowledgeable about the department's inter-city regional bus service and
one who is knowledgeable about innovative mobility.
In conducting its work and in producing a viable proposal for the
creation, implementation, and administration of a statewide transit pass
the committee is required to consider:
•
Various specified logistics of creating a statewide transit
pass;
•
A method for determining the price of a statewide transit
pass;
•
A structure for the sale of the statewide transit pass to
individuals and to employers for their employees;
•
The services that will be offered to statewide transit pass
holders;
•
The types of statewide transit passes that would be offered,
including different options for the duration of the pass to
accommodate Colorado residents and visitors to Colorado;
•
Additional opportunities for collaboration across transit
agencies in the state to make it easier and more appealing
for people to use transit;
•
The technology that would be necessary to monitor the use
of the statewide transit pass and track ridership across
transit agencies;
•
Local, tribal, state, and federal laws, rules, or regulations
that need to be considered in connection with the creation
of a statewide transit pass;
•
The best method for advertising and marketing a statewide
transit pass;
•
The potential impacts that a statewide transit pass will have
on transit pass programs that are currently offered by transit
agencies;
•
The potential impacts of section 20 of article X of the state
constitution to local governments in connection with
revenue generated by the sale of a statewide transit pass;
•
A proposal for the structure and composition of a
permanent advisory board to oversee the creation,
implementation, and administration of a statewide transit
pass; and
•
Any other issues that need to be discussed or addressed, as
deemed necessary and appropriate by a majority vote of the
members of the committee.
In producing a viable proposal for the creation, implementation,
and administration of a statewide transit pass, the committee is required
to solicit input from specified subject matter experts and interested parties
across the state.
The committee is required to submit its proposal for the creation,
implementation, and administration of a statewide transit pass, including
recommendations for any necessary legislation in connection with the
proposal, to the executive director and the members of the transportation
legislation review committee of the general assembly on or before July 1,
2026.
Ozone season transit grant program. The ozone season transit
grant program was created in the Colorado energy office in 2022. Section
2 makes the following changes to the ozone season transit grant program:
•
Relocates the ozone season transit grant program to the
department;
•
Requires the transit association that receives money from
the state and uses the money to make grants to transit
agencies to consider grants that have been or will be
awarded to the transit agency through the youth fare free
transit grant program, created in the bill, when making
grants to ensure that transit agencies do not receive grants
through the ozone season transit grant program for services
that are paid for with grants from the youth fare free transit
grant program;
•
Requires the state treasurer to transfer $7 million to the
ozone season transit grant program fund on July 1, 2024,
and on July 1 of each year thereafter; and
•
Makes the ozone season transit grant program permanent
by repealing the statute that would repeal the ozone season
transit grant program on July 1, 2024.
Youth fare free transit grant program. Section 3 creates the
youth fare free transit grant program in the department to provide grants
to the regional transportation district (RTD) and a transit association to
provide fare free year-round transit services for individuals who are 19
years of age or younger (youth).
To receive a grant, a transit association or the RTD must submit
an application to the department in accordance with the policies
established by the department. A transit association that receives a grant
may use the money to make grants to eligible transit agencies. The
eligible transit agencies and the RTD may use the grant money to provide
operating support for its transit operations and general transit programs,
so long as the eligible transit agency or the RTD provides uninterrupted
fare free year-round transit services for youth riders.
The RTD is required to report to the department and an eligible
transit agency that receives a grant from a transit association is required
to report to the transit association regarding the estimated change in youth
ridership during the year in which fare free services were offered
compared to previous years, any changes that the RTD or the eligible
transit agency would make in how it provides fare free transit services to
youth or in its use of the grant money based on its experiences, and how
the RTD or the eligible transit agency marketed the fare free transit
services for youth. The transit association is required to submit to the
department a summary of the reported information for all eligible transit
agencies that received a grant through the transit association.
The bill creates the youth fare free transit grant program fund
(fund) and transfers $7 million from the general fund to the fund on July
1, 2024, and on July 1 of each year thereafter. The money in the fund is
continuously appropriated to the department for the youth fare free transit
grant program.
The department is required to establish policies governing the
youth fare free transit grant program and to report to the house of
representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee
and the senate transportation committee, or their successor committees,
by December 31 of each year of the program.
Income tax credit for the purchase of a transit pass. For income
tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, but before January 1,
2029, section 4 creates an income tax credit allowed to any taxpayer in
an amount equal to 30% of the amount spent by the taxpayer to purchase
one or more transit passes for use by the taxpayer during the income tax
year for which the credit is claimed.
To claim the credit a taxpayer is required to include a credit
certificate issued by the department with the income tax return filed with
the department of revenue. The credit certificate that the department
issues must identify the taxpayer and certify that the taxpayer purchased
one or more transit passes for the taxpayer's use during the income tax
year for which the credit is claimed.
The amount of the credit not used as an offset against income taxes
in the current income tax year is refunded to the taxpayer.
No later than January 1, 2025, and no later than January 1 of each
year thereafter through January 1, 2029, the department is required to
provide the department of revenue with an electronic report of the
taxpayers receiving a credit certificate.
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