HOV Lanes for Heroes Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section would give the Act the short title "HOV Lanes for Heroes Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the HOV Lanes for Heroes Act .
2: HOV facilities
This section would change the federal law on high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities in title 23 of the United States Code. It would add a new paragraph to section 166(b) letting the public authority that runs an HOV facility allow a disabled veteran to use that facility if the veteran has a license plate that clearly identifies the vehicle, a registered transponder, or another form of identification the public authority decides is necessary to qualify. A disabled veteran, for this purpose, would be a veteran (as defined in section 101 of title 38) who the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has determined has a service-connected disability rated at or above whatever percentage the public authority decides counts as qualifying. Even though HOV facilities normally require a minimum number of occupants in the vehicle, a vehicle carrying just 1 occupant who is a qualifying disabled veteran could still use the HOV facility under this exception. The public authority could not charge a toll to a disabled veteran using the facility under this new paragraph. The section would also update two existing cross-references elsewhere in section 166: a reference in subsection (b)(1) that currently spans paragraphs (1) through (5) would be changed to span paragraphs (1) through (7), and a reference in subsection (d)(1) that currently lists paragraph (4) or (5) would be changed to list paragraph (4), (5), (6), or (7). This would bring the new disabled veterans paragraph, along with the existing paragraph (6), within whatever rules those two cross-references already apply.
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2. HOV facilities (a) In general Section 166(b) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the following: (7) Disabled veterans (A) In general The public authority may allow a disabled veteran to use the HOV facility if such veteran has a license plate that clearly identifies the vehicle, a registered transponder, or other method of identification the public authority considers necessary for qualification. (B) Definition of disabled veteran For purposes of this paragraph, the term disabled veteran means a veteran (as such term is defined in section 101 of title 38) who the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has determined has a service-connected (as such term is defined in such section) disability rated at or above a percentage determined to be qualifying by the public authority. (C) Occupancy exception Notwithstanding the occupancy requirement of subsection (a)(2), 1 occupant described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph may be permitted to use a HOV facility. (D) No charge for tolls Under this paragraph, a public authority may charge no toll. . (b) Conforming amendments Section 166 of such title is further amended— (1) in subsection (b)(1) by striking through (5) and inserting through (7) ; and (2) in subsection (d)(1) by striking paragraph (4) or (5) and inserting paragraph (4), (5), (6), or (7) .