The senate has passed a bill, by a vote of 27 to 4, to end mandatory vehicle inspections in the State of Texas. The law will take effect in March of 2018 and change the law that has been in place since 1951.
Senate Bill 1588 passed the senate on Thursday, May 4 and will change the law mandating that Texas drivers pay the cost and have their personal vehicles inspected annually. Commercial Vehicles will continue to be required to have annual safety inspections, and 17 Texas counties will still require an annual emissions test.
Senate Bill 1588 was penned by Senator Don Huffines, a Republican from Dallas, Texas. Huffines said,
“This is a tax cut that Texans will feel… it will save Texans $130 million they’re now having to pay for a procedure that has proven to have no discernible safety benefit to drivers”
For most drivers, the annual savings will be about $7 along with the time and effort it takes to go get the inspection done. The fine for not having an inspections sticker, or being out of date can be up to $150.
The next step for the Lone Star State to give the boot to vehicle inspections is the House of Representatives. The lower chamber will vote on House Bill 3995, and Senator Huffines believes that it will receive the same amount of bipartisan support. Once that vote is cleared it would be made a law and go into effect on March 1, 2018.
