The Department of Transportation shall publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin notice of the execution of the agreement required under section 11 of this act within 14 days of its execution. 2006, MAY 11, P.L.155, NO.36 Preamble The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) Driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is a crime with thousands of victims in this Commonwealth. (2) Evidence exists that victim impact panels are effective in reducing offender recidivism and restoring balance to victims' lives in driving under the influence cases. (3) The purpose of this act is to recognize the value of victim impact panels at reducing offender recidivism and addressing victims' issues, to encourage counties to implement the panels and to establish a coordinating committee to provide standardized guidance for the panels. 2013, NOVEMBER 25, P.L.974, NO.89 Preamble The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) It is the purpose of this act to ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of this Commonwealth. (2) The Commonwealth's transportation system includes nearly 40,000 miles of roads and 25,000 bridges owned by the Commonwealth, nearly 77,000 miles of roads and 12,000 bridges owned by counties and municipal governments, 36 fixed-route public transportation agencies, 67 railroads, 133 public-use airports, the Ports of Erie, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and numerous bicycle and pedestrian facilities. (3) The Commonwealth's transportation system provides for access to employment, educational services, medical care and other life-sustaining services for all residents of this Commonwealth, including senior citizens and people with disabilities. (4) The Department of Transportation of the Commonwealth has indicated that 9,000 miles of roads owned by the Commonwealth are in poor condition and that 4,400 bridges owned by the Commonwealth are rated structurally deficient. The State Transportation Advisory Committee has indicated that 2,189 bridges exceeding 20 feet in length owned by counties and municipalities are rated structurally deficient. (5) There is urgent public need to reduce congestion, increase capacity, improve safety and promote economic efficiency of transportation facilities throughout this Commonwealth. (6) The Commonwealth has limited resources to fund the maintenance and expansion of its transportation facilities. (7) The State Transportation Advisory Committee reported in 2010 that the Commonwealth's transportation system is underfunded by $3,500,000,000 and projected that amount will grow to $6,700,000,000 by 2020 without additional financial investment by the Commonwealth. (8) To ensure the needs of the public are adequately addressed, funding mechanisms must be enhanced to sustain the Commonwealth's transportation system in the future. (9) The utilization of user fees establishes a funding source for transportation needs that spreads the costs across those who benefit from the Commonwealth's transportation system. (10) Pursuant to section 11 of Article VIII of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, all highway and bridge user fees must be used solely for construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair of and safety on public highways and bridges and costs and expenses incident thereto. (11) In order to ensure a safe and reliable system of public transportation, aviation, ports, rail and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, other transportation-related user fees must be deposited in the Public Transportation Trust Fund and the Multimodal Transportation Fund. (12) In furtherance of the Commonwealth's energy policy, which includes becoming independent from overreliance on foreign energy sources, programs must be established to promote reliance on or conversion to alternative energy sources, including the vast natural gas supply of this Commonwealth. (13) The Department of Transportation is responsible for the operation of the Commonwealth's transportation system, including administration, driver and vehicle services, highway administration, multimodal transportation and planning. To this end, the department is charged with the registration of vehicles, including the issuance and proper mounting of license plates and special registration plates and assessing those costs and financial impact and ensuring road safety and movement by the posting of maximum speed limits on highways. (14) Recognition and furtherance of all these elements is essential to promoting the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of this Commonwealth.
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