The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Monday to tighten control over the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
House Bill 607, which was proposed by state Rep. Joe Emrick, R-Northampton, would allow Pennsylvania and New Jersey to annually audit the commission’s finances and management operations.
The bill, which received bipartisan support, would also grant the governor veto power over Pennsylvania commissioners’ decisions like the recent toll increase on Route 22 and Interstate 78. E-ZPass drivers now pay $1.25, a 25-cent increase, to cross from New Jersey into Pennsylvania. Another 25-cent hike, to $1.50, is planned in 2024. Drivers without E-ZPass now pay $3.
The increased toll is meant to generate revenue absorbing the cost of the commission’s toll-by-license plate system, which replaced toll collectors due to the pandemic.
“I think it is absolutely egregious that the DRJTBC would enact a toll increase while Pennsylvanians and our businesses are still suffering financially due to the pandemic,” Emrick said in a Monday news release.
Emrick said he is awaiting a response to his Right to Know request about the commission’s financial status and cash reserves and its cost-cutting measures during the pandemic.
Commission spokesperson Joseph Donnelly said the organization would have no comment on the bill.
The bill must pass the Senate before it can be considered by the governor to be signed into law.
Morning Call reporter Andrew Scott can be reached at 610-820-6508 or ascott@mcall.com.
