Committee votes to abolish state TSA

Thursday, May 26, 2005 | 9:56 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A bill that would return regulation of limousines, tow cars and some taxicabs to the state Public Utilities Commission, was approved by the Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee.

Assembly Bill 505 would abolish the three-member state Transportation Services Authority and switch its duties to the PUC that regulated the industries prior to 1997.

The committee approved an amendment that would have imposed major fee increases to members of the industries. Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, the chairman of the committee, said the proposed hikes in the fees "was very difficult to follow."

Gov. Kenny Guinn proposed the demise of the TSA and authorized higher fees to be charged to the industry to help support its regulation. At present 94 percent of the money to support the TSA comes from the state highway tax collections and only six percent is contributed by the industry.

Nolan said officials from the PUC "went back to the governor," who agreed to remove the proposed fee increases.

"This keeps the fines and fees exactly as they were," Nolan said.

The committee did not take action on an amendment sought by Nellis Cab Co. that wanted to reduce the annual $100 per cab fee charged by the Taxicab Authority to $50. Nolan said that would be considered later. The Taxicab Authority regulates the cab industry in Clark County and the Transportation Services Authority oversees the taxis in the rest of the state.

The bill, as amended by the committee, will establish a commissioner of transportation under the PUC to handle transportation matters, and the staff would be transferred to the PUC. The commissioner on transportation would be Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, who is now an authority commissioner.

As of January, the authority regulated an estimated 1,250 limousines, 650 tow cars and 110 household goods movers, all statewide, and 350 taxicabs outside of Clark County.