A Senate Resolution urging the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to restore fares and tolls to 2011 levels.

Whereas, In 2011, the toll to travel one of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority) bridges or tunnels into New York was $8.00 and the fare to ride the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) service was $1.75; and

Whereas, On August 5, 2011, the Port Authority proposed a $4 toll increase for bridges and tunnels for drivers using E-ZPass and a $7 increase for drivers paying cash, to be followed by additional increases in 2014 and 2015, which would eventually increase the tolls to $14 for drivers using E-ZPass and $17 for drivers paying cash; and

Whereas, The Port Authority also proposed a $1 increase in the fare for a single PATH ride from $1.75 to $2.75; and

Whereas, Members of the New Jersey Legislature and the public immediately condemned, and the Governors of New York and New Jersey publicly objected to, the proposal; and

Whereas, On August 16, 2011, the Port Authority held nine public hearings, four in New Jersey, four in New York, and one via the Internet, on the proposed toll and fare increases; and

Whereas, On August 18, 2011, the Governors of New York and New Jersey sent a letter to the Port Authority, one day before the Port Authority would vote on the proposal, with their objections to the proposed toll and fare increases, but with recommendations for smaller toll and fare increases that would be phased in through 2015; and

Whereas, On August 19, 2011, despite concerns about the expediency in which public hearings were held and the absence of any public comment period on the revised proposal submitted to the Port Authority by both Governors, the Port Authority voted on and approved the recommendations submitted by the Governors; and

Whereas, In response to those concerns, the Government Accountability Office issued a report in September 2013 titled "Interstate Compacts: Transparency and Oversight of Bi-State Tolling Authorities Could Be Enhanced," commenting that the Port Authority "did not provide sufficient, convenient and accessible opportunities for the public to comment on the proposal"; and

Whereas, Under the approved plan, drivers using E-ZPass now pay $9.00 during off-peak hours and $11.00 during peak hours, drivers paying cash pay $13.00, and a single PATH ride costs $2.50; and

Whereas, The toll and fare increases will continue into 2015, ultimately costing drivers using E-ZPass $10.50 during off-peak hours and $12.50 during peak hours, drivers paying cash $15.00, and PATH riders $2.75 for a single PATH ride; and

Whereas, Information recently reported in the news indicates that the initial toll and fare increases proposed by the Port Authority were intentionally inflated to give the Governors an opportunity to object to such a large increase and thereafter suggest a revised proposal with smaller increases; and

Whereas, Public hearings to discuss the toll and fare increases should have been a deliberative and democratic process but, instead, news reports suggest the process was treated as a secretive, campaign-style operation, orchestrated by two high-ranking and now former Port Authority officials, intended to portray the Governors of each state in a positive light; and

Whereas, If these news reports are true, the residents of this State have been cheated out of what they rightfully deserve, namely to have an honest, open, and meaningful discussion about the toll and fare increases, to have public comment considered, and for politics to be removed from the decision making process; and

Whereas, This House must strive to protect the hardworking people of New Jersey and to restore public confidence in the Port Authority and all other government agencies tasked to serve the people; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House urges the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to restore the toll and fare prices that were in place prior to the August 19, 2011 approval of toll and fare increases by the Port Authority and the Governors of New York and New Jersey.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners, the Governor of New York, and the Governor of New Jersey.

STATEMENT

This resolution urges the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to restore the toll and fare prices that were in place prior to the August 2011 approval of toll and fare increases by the Port Authority.

In 2011, the Port Authority approved toll increases for Port Authority bridges and tunnels into New York and fare increases for riders that use the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) service. The approved proposal, recommended by the Governors of both New York and New Jersey, represented a smaller increase than an earlier proposal put forward by the Port Authority.

The Government Accountability Office issued a report in September 2013 commenting that the Port Authority "did not provide sufficient, convenient and accessible opportunities for the public to comment on the proposal." In addition, recent news reports have indicated that the initial toll and fare increases proposed by the Port Authority were intentionally inflated to give the Governors an opportunity to object to such a large increase and thereafter suggest a revised proposal with smaller increases. Public hearings to discuss the toll and fare increases should have been a deliberative and democratic process but, instead, news reports suggest the process was treated as a secretive, campaign-style operation, orchestrated by two high-ranking and now former Port Authority officials, intended to portray the Governors of each state in a positive light. In light of these recent developments, the tolls and fares should be rolled back to their 2011 levels to protect the hardworking people of this State and to restore public confidence in the Port Authority and all other government agencies tasked to serve the people.