UPDATE: The bill was pulled from consideration to be heard Tuesday in House Transportation Committee but is still expected to be debated in the regular session.
A bill to eliminate vehicle inspection stickers in Louisiana will be heard in House Transportation today. Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley’s bill would remove the requirement to have an up-to-date inspection sticker.
“It really doesn’t do anything other than make us pay money to the state government. It’s a money raiser for the state and there’s no reason for it,” said Bagley.
This will be Bagley’s third attempt to eliminate brake tags or vehicle inspection stickers in Louisiana. As for opposition, he said he’s gotten pushback from the owners of vehicle inspection sites and from state police.
“There concern is that they are going to lose some money and would like to be sure that’s kept in the budget, and I told them I’d work with them, I’m on Appropriations so I told them I’d take care of all of that,” said Bagley.
Bagley said he also hasn’t received any opposition from Governor Jeff Landry’s administration over House Bill 344.
For vehicle owners in five parishes (Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, and West Baton Rouge) that are required by the federal Clean Air Act to have emission inspections every two years they would be charged eight dollars for those inspections.
Bagley said law enforcement has always had the right to pull over a motorist if their vehicle has issues like a head or taillight not working.
No other states in the south require brake tags or inspection stickers, except for Texas which is phasing their’s out. Bagley said they are simply a money grab.
“I’ve never seen a reason for the sticker, I’ve never liked them even when I first started driving and it has not changed through the years,” said Bagley.
Commercial and student transportation vehicles would still be required to have inspection stickers.
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