§ 39-18.1-4. Rhode Island highway maintenance account created. (a) There is hereby created a special account in the intermodal surface transportation fund as established in § 31-36-20 that is to be known as the Rhode Island highway maintenance account.

(b) The fund shall consist of all those moneys that the state may from time to time direct to the fund, including, but not necessarily limited to, moneys derived from the following sources:

(1) There is imposed a surcharge of thirty dollars ($30.00) per vehicle or truck, other than those with specific registrations set forth below in subsection (b)(1)(i). Such surcharge shall be paid by each vehicle or truck owner in order to register that owner's vehicle or truck and upon each subsequent biennial registration. This surcharge shall be phased in at the rate of ten dollars ($10.00) each year. The total surcharge will be ten dollars ($10.00) from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, twenty dollars ($20.00) from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, and thirty dollars ($30.00) from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, and each year thereafter.

(i) For owners of vehicles or trucks with the following plate types, the surcharge shall be as set forth below and shall be paid in full in order to register the vehicle or truck and upon each subsequent renewal:

(2) There is imposed a surcharge of fifteen dollars ($15.00) per vehicle or truck, other than those with specific registrations set forth in subsection (b)(2)(i) below, for those vehicles or trucks subject to annual registration, to be paid annually by each vehicle or truck owner in order to register that owner's vehicle or truck and upon each subsequent annual registration. This surcharge will be phased in at the rate of five dollars ($5.00) each year. The total surcharge will be five dollars ($5.00) from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, ten dollars ($10.00) from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, and fifteen dollars ($15.00) from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, and each year thereafter.

(i) For registrations of the following plate types, the surcharge shall be as set forth below and shall be paid in full in order to register the plate, and upon each subsequent renewal:

(iii) For owners of school buses, the surcharge will be phased in at the rate of six dollars and twenty-five cents ($6.25) each year. The total surcharge will be six dollars and twenty-five cents ($6.25) from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, and twelve dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, and each year thereafter;

(3) There is imposed a surcharge of thirty dollars ($30.00) per license to operate a motor vehicle to be paid every five (5) years by each licensed operator of a motor vehicle. This surcharge will be phased in at the rate of ten dollars ($10.00) each year. The total surcharge will be ten dollars ($10.00) from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, twenty dollars ($20.00) from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, and thirty dollars ($30.00) from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, and each year thereafter. In the event that a license is issued or renewed for a period of less than five (5) years, the surcharge will be prorated according to the period of time the license will be valid;

(4) All fees assessed pursuant to § 31-47.1-11, and chapters 3, 6, 10, and 10.1 of title 31, except for fees assessed pursuant to §§ 31-10-31(6) and (8), shall be deposited into the Rhode Island highway maintenance account, provided that for fiscal years 2016, 2017, and 2018 these fees be transferred as follows:

(i) From July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, twenty-five percent (25%) will be deposited;

(ii) From July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, fifty percent (50%) will be deposited;

(iii) From July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018, sixty percent (60%) will be deposited; and

(iv) From July 1, 2018, and each year thereafter, one hundred percent (100%) will be deposited;

(5) All remaining funds from previous general obligation bond issues that have not otherwise been allocated.

(c) Effective July 1, 2019, ninety-five percent (95%) of all funds collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account and shall be used only for the purposes set forth in this chapter. The remaining funds shall be retained as general revenues to partially offset cost of collections.

(d) Unexpended balances and any earnings thereon shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account. There shall be no requirement that monies received into the Rhode Island highway maintenance account during any given calendar year or fiscal year be expended during the same calendar year or fiscal year.

(e) The Rhode Island highway maintenance account shall be administered by the director, who shall allocate and spend monies from the fund only in accordance with the purposes and procedures set forth in this chapter.

History of Section. (P.L. 2011, ch. 151, art. 22, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 144, art. 6, § 2; P.L. 2014, ch. 145, art. 21, § 7; P.L. 2017, ch. 302, art. 4, § 5; P.L. 2018, ch. 47, art. 8, § 3; P.L. 2018, ch. 346, § 27; P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 8, § 2.)