Crack Down on Toll Cheating

What's happening

Why it matters

1. 1

   Broadens criminal liability. Expanding theft of services to include evading tolls or charges for roads, bridges, or tunnels means individuals who skip tolls could face the same criminal charges as those who evade fares on public transportation, raising the stakes for what might have previously been treated as a civil infraction.

2. 2

   Potential for increased enforcement. Law enforcement and agencies responsible for highway infrastructure may have more tools to pursue and penalize toll evaders, possibly leading to more prosecutions and stricter enforcement of toll collection.

3. 3

   Impacts on drivers and equity concerns. This change could disproportionately affect lower-income drivers who may be unable to pay tolls, leading to criminal records for actions that were previously civil offenses, and could heighten tensions around automated tolling systems and errors.

4. 4

   Revenue protection for infrastructure. By criminalizing toll evasion, the legislation aims to protect revenue streams used for maintaining and improving vital transportation infrastructure, which could benefit all users if collections become more reliable.

Who cares

• Drivers using tolled roads, bridges and tunnels

  The bill would extend theft-of-services provisions to intentionally obtaining or attempting to obtain use without paying the lawful toll through the specified methods, including deception or unjustifiable refusal to pay.

• Toll-collecting transportation authorities

  The bill would explicitly cover evasion of lawful tolls for highways, parkways, roads, bridges and tunnels under the theft-of-services law.

• Prosecutors and defense attorneys

  The bill would expand the conduct covered by the theft-of-services provision to include intentional toll evasion and attempted evasion.

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History

Companion bill

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