4047633 Resolution 19-675, "Public Vehicle-for-Hire Educational Services Declaration Resolution of 2012"

                                                          

A RESOLUTION

                                                        

19-675  

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

November 1, 2012

 

 

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to amend section 47-2829 of the District of Columbia Official Code to authorize the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission to charge and collect reasonable fees to provide education services for the public vehicle-for-hire industry with funds to be deposited into the Public Vehicles-For-Hire Consumer Service Fund.         

            RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Public Vehicle-for-Hire Educational Services Declaration Resolution of 2012”.

            Sec. 2.  (a) The District of Columbia Taxicab Commission ("Commission"), which regulates the public vehicle-for-hire industry in the District of Columbia, is statutorily required to provide educational services in the form of training courses, refresher courses, and testing for public vehicle-for-hire operators. These courses and examinations are prerequisites for obtaining a public vehicle-for-hire license.

(b) In the past, these training courses and examinations were coordinated between the Commission and the University of the District of Columbia ("UDC") and offered at UDC. However, the course and examination have not been offered for several years. The Taxicab Service Improvement Amendment Act of 2012, signed by the Mayor on August 2, 2012 (D.C. Act 19-437; 59 DCR 9431), requires the Commission to revamp the required course and examination and offer it to public vehicle-for-hire operators; however, the legislation does not authorize the Commission to charge or collect fees to provide this course or the examination. Given the urgent need for the Commission to reopen the training course and examination as required by law, the Commission needs to have the authority to charge and collect fees to operate the course and examination, as its existing funds would not cover the expenses. The fees charged and collected would be used to develop and administer the course and examinations, offset the cost of using facilities to house the course and examinations, as well as create materials and provide instructors.    

(c) All of the fees that would be charged and collected from the course would be deposited in the Public Vehicles-For-Hire Consumer Service Fund, a special purpose revenue fund created by section 20a of the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985, effective May 10. 1988 (D.C. Law 7-107; D.C. Official Code § 50-320), that contains all of the funds available to the Commission, as it no longer receives local funds. The rental fee discussed in subsection (b) of this section was not listed in the Master Fee Schedule, as required by the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Submission Requirements Resolution of 2011, effective December 6, 2011 (Res. 19-449;  58 DCR 11027), thus depriving the public and the Council of formal notice of this fee. 

            (d) This emergency legislation is necessary to authorize the Commission to charge and collect the fees described in subsection (b) of this section.

 

            Sec. 3.  The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Public Vehicle-for-Hire Educational Services Emergency Act of 2012 be adopted after a single reading.

 

            Sec. 4.  This resolution shall take effect immediately.