AN ACT to allow a regional public transportation authority to operate a buspool more than ten miles beyond its territorial jurisdiction.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 160A‑601 reads as rewritten:

§ 160A‑601.  Definitions.

As used in this Article, unless the context otherwise requires:

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(4)        Public transportation means transportation of passengers whether or not for hire by any means of conveyance, including but not limited to a street or elevated railway or guideway, subway, guideway; subway; motor vehicle or motor bus, carpool bus; carpool, buspool, or vanpool, vanpool; either publicly or privately owned and operated, holding itself out to the general public for the transportation of persons within or working within the territorial jurisdiction service area of the Authority, excluding charter, tour, or sight‑seeing service.

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SECTION 2.  G.S. 160A‑610 reads as rewritten:

§ 160A‑610.  General powers of the Authority.

The general powers of the Authority shall include any or all of the following:

(1)        To sue and be sued;sued.

(2)        To have a seal;seal.

(3)        To make rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this Chapter, for its organization and internal management;management.

(4)        To employ persons deemed necessary to carry out the functions and duties assigned to them by the Authority and to fix their compensation, within the limit of available funds;funds.

(5)        With the approval of the unit of local government's chief administrative official, to use officers, employees, agents and facilities of the unit of local government for such purposes and upon such terms as may be mutually agreeable;agreeable.

(6)        To retain and employ counsel, auditors, engineers and private consultants on an annual salary, contract basis, or otherwise for rendering professional or technical services and advice;advice.

(7)        To acquire, lease as lessee with or without option to purchase, hold, own, and use any franchise, property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, or any interest therein and to sell, lease as lessor with or without option to purchase, transfer (or dispose thereof) whenever the same is no longer required for purposes of the Authority, or exchange same for other property or rights which are useful for the Authority's purposes, including but not necessarily limited to parking facilities;facilities.

(7a)      To enhance mobility within the region and promote sound growth patterns through joint transit development projects as generally described by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) policy at 62 Fed. Reg. 12266 (1997) and implementing guidelines in FTA Circular 9300.1A, Appendix B, as the policy and guidance may be amended; and, with respect to the planning, construction, and operation of joint transit development projects, upon the governing board's adoption of policies and procedures to ensure fair and open competition, to select developers or development teams in substantially the same manner as permitted by G.S. 143‑129(h); and to enter into development agreements with public, private, or nonprofit entities to undertake the planning, construction, and operation of joint transit development projects.

(8)        To acquire by gift, purchase, lease as lessee with or without option to purchase or otherwise to construct, improve, maintain, repair, operate or administer any component parts of a public transportation system or to contract for the maintenance, operation or administration thereof or to lease as lessor the same for maintenance, operation, or administration by private parties, including but not necessarily limited to parking facilities;facilities.

(9)        To make or enter into contracts, agreements, deeds, leases with or without option to purchase, conveyances or other instruments, including contracts and agreements with the United States, the State of North Carolina, and units of local government;government.

(9a)      To purchase or finance real or personal property in the manner provided for cities and counties under G.S. 160A‑20;G.S. 160A‑20.

(10)      To surrender to the State of North Carolina any property no longer required by the Authority;Authority.

(11)      To develop and make data, plans, information, surveys and studies of public transportation facilities within the territorial jurisdiction service area of the Authority, to prepare and make recommendations in regard thereto;thereto.

(12)      To enter in a reasonable manner lands, waters or premises for the purpose of making surveys, soundings, drillings, and examinations whereby such entry shall not be deemed a trespass except that the Authority shall be liable for any actual and consequential damages resulting from such entries;entries.

(13)      To develop and carry out demonstration projects;projects.

(14)      To make, enter into, and perform contracts with private parties, and public transportation companies with respect to the management and operation of public passenger transportation;transportation.

(15)      To make, enter into, and perform contracts with any public utility, railroad or transportation company for the joint use of property or rights, for the establishment of through routes, joint fares or transfer of passengers;passengers.

(16)      To make, enter into, and perform agreements with governmental entities for payments to the Authority for the transportation of persons for whom the governmental entities desire transportation;transportation.

(17)      With the consent of the unit of local government which would otherwise have jurisdiction to exercise the powers enumerated in this subdivision: to issue certificates of public convenience and necessity; and to grant franchises and enter into franchise agreements and in all respects to regulate the operation of buses, taxicabs and other methods of public passenger transportation which originate and terminate within the territorial jurisdiction of the Authority as fully as the unit of local government is now or hereafter empowered to do within the territorial jurisdiction of the unit of local government;government.

(18)      To operate public transportation systems and to enter into and perform contracts to operate public transportation services and facilities and to own or lease property, facilities and equipment necessary or convenient therefor, and to rent, lease or otherwise sell the right to do so to any person, public or private; further, to obtain grants, loans and assistance from the United States, the State of North Carolina, any public body, or any private source whatsoever, but may not operate or contract for the operation of public transportation systems outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Authority except as provided by subdivision (20) of this section;section.

(19)      To enter into and perform contracts and agreements with other public transportation authorities, regional public transportation authorities or units of local government pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 160A‑460 through 160A‑464 (Part 1 of Article 20 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes); further to enter into contracts and agreements with private transportation companies, but this subdivision does not authorize the operation of, or contracting for the operation of, service of a public transportation system outside the service area of the Authority;Authority.

(20)      To operate public transportation systems extending service into any political subdivision of the State of North Carolina unless a particular unit of local government operating its own public transportation system or franchising the operation of a public transportation system by majority vote of its governing board, shall deny consent, but such service consent. Service provided under this subdivision may not extend more than 10 miles outside of the territorial jurisdiction of the authority, except that vanpool vanpool, buspool, and carpool service shall not be subject to that mileage limitation;limitation.

(21)      Except as restricted by covenants in bonds, notes, or equipment trust certificates, to set in its sole discretion rates, fees and charges for use of its public transportation system;system.

(22)      To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purpose and to exercise the powers granted to the Authority;Authority.

(23)      To collect or contract for the collection of taxes which it is authorized by law to levy;levy.

(24)      To issue bonds or other obligations of the Authority as provided by law and apply the proceeds thereof to the financing of any public transportation system or any part thereof and to refund, whether or not in advance of maturity or the earliest redemption date, any such bonds or other obligations; andobligations.

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SECTION 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Transportation the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year to be provided as a directed grant to the Central Pines Regional Council for the purpose of conducting a study, in consultation with the Capital Area Municipal Planning Organization, Durham‑Chapel Hill‑Carrboro Municipal Planning Organization, Central Pines Rural Planning Organization, Upper Coastal Plain Rural Planning Organization, and GoTriangle, on regional workforce transportation needs. Not later than December 1, 2025, the Department shall submit a report on the study, and any recommendations for legislation, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Transportation, the Joint Legislative Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight Committee, and the Fiscal Research Division.

SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2024.