Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel -- HISTORY


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SYNOPSIS OF ENABLING LEGISLATION
The District was created as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia by Chapter 693 of the Virginia Acts of Assembly of 1954 under the name of the "Chesapeake Bay Ferry District." The area and powers of the District were enlarged and its present name adopted by Chapters 462, 714, 24, 228, 605, 348, 203, and 548 of the Virginia Acts of Assembly of 1956,1956, 1959 Extra Session, 1962, 1962, 1964, 1990, and 1998, respectively. (All such legislation relating to the District, as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time, is called the "Enabling Acts.") The District is comprised of six cities, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, and the two Eastern Shore counties of Northampton and Accomack.
Chapter 693 of the Acts of Assembly of 1954: An act creating the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District, and the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission as the governing body of the District; authorizes the acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance by the Commission of a ferry project within the District. Chapter 462 of the Acts of Assembly of 1956: Enlarges the boundaries of the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District; increases the membership of the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission; and redefines the incidental powers of the Commission. (Amends and reenacts § 5 & 6 of Chapter 693.) Chapter 714 of the Acts of Assembly of 1956: Confers additional powers on the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission; authorizes the Commission to establish, construct, maintain, repair, and operate a bridge or tunnel or a bridge and tunnel project from any point within the District to a point in the County of Northampton. Chapter 24 of the Acts of Assembly of 1959: Changes the names of the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District and the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission, respectively; and prescribes the maximum rate of interest and interest cost on certain bonds. (Amends and reenacts § 2 & 7 of Chapter 714.) Chapter 228 of the Acts of Assembly of 1962: Relates to the police powers of the Commission, the jurisdiction and trial of certain cases, and the disposition of fines collected therefrom. (Amends Chapter 693, as amended.) Chapter 605 of the Acts of Assembly of 1962: Defines the membership of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission from the consolidated City of Newport News. (Amends and reenacts § 5 & 6 of Chapter 693, as amended by Chapter 462.) Chapter 348 of the Acts of Assembly of 1964: Amends Chapter 228 of the Virginia Acts of Assembly of 1962 relating to the police powers of the Commission and the jurisdiction and trial of certain cases. Chapter 203 of the Acts of Assembly of 1990: Authorizes the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission to establish, finance, construct, maintain, repair, and operate an additional bridge and tunnel crossing generally parallel to the existing bridge and tunnel crossing. (Amends and reenacts § 2, as amended, of Chapter 714.) Chapter 548 of the Acts of Assembly of 1998: Changes the composition of the Commission, term of office for Commission members, and method of appointment of all members of the Commission. Any member appointed or reappointed on or after July 1, 1998, shall be appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by each house of the General Assembly. (Amends and reenacts §6, as amended, of Chapter 714.) Chapters 238 and 705 of the Acts of Assembly of 2000: Changes method of taking an oath of office from a Circuit Court judge to any judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of any court of record; judge of a district court in the Commonwealth; the Secretary of the Commonwealth or his deputy; or a member of the State Corporation Commission. (Amends and reenacts §6, as amended, of Chapter 693.)

Chapter 297 of the Acts of Assembly of 2005: Provides for the Commission, in its discretion, to designate one of its members to perform extraordinary duties not normally performed by members of the Commission, for a single period not in excess of six months, and may compensate the member so long as the compensation does not exceed the salary paid to the immediately preceding executive director (James K. Brookshire, Jr. ). The provisions of this act shall expire on January 1, 2006. An emergency existed and this act is in force from its passage. (Amends and reenacts §6, as amended, of Chapter 693.)

Chapter 896 of the Acts of Assembly of 2007: Provides statewide funding of transportation projects through current funds and additional funds, authority to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority to impose regional fees and taxes for transportation in their respective areas, authority to each locality embraced by either Authority to impose an additional real property tax on commercial property with the revenues to be used for transportation, and several administrative and efficiency reforms impacting transportation. The bill also authorizes the Commonwealth Transportation Board to issue bonds in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3 billion for statewide transportation funding with the debt service on such bonds to be paid from one-third of the annual revenues from the state tax on insurance businesses.