(NASHVILLE) — State Representative Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah) and State Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) held a joint town hall meeting in Smyrna earlier this week to discuss the 2018 legislative session. The Republican lawmakers updated citizens on a number of important issues that were addressed during the second half of the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, including vehicle emissions testing and civil asset forfeiture.
This year, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a measure sponsored by Representative Carter and cosponsored by Representative Sparks moving Tennessee away from mandatory vehicle emissions testing.
House Bill 1782 — signed by Governor Haslam — applies to citizens living in Hamilton, Davidson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson Counties where vehicle emissions testing is still required prior to registration or renewal. It requires counties to take all necessary steps to end mandatory testing — including petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a waiver to eliminate this timing consuming and outdated testing requirement on our working families.
“Vehicle emissions testing is burdensome, costly, and unfairly penalizes those who can least afford the testing process,” said Representative Carter. “I am pleased that we have taken the appropriate steps to end testing in our remaining counties who still require it, and I look forward to it being completely eliminated by the end of the year.”
“As an entrepreneur in and around the auto industry most of my life, and as a former employee of the auto industry, It is clear to me that vehicle emissions testing has outlived its usefulness and has placed a tremendous financial strain on our working families,” said Representative Sparks. “I look forward to working with the EPA in the months ahead in order to ensure that the citizens of Rutherford County and our state will have an opportunity to save more of their hard-earned money by completely eliminating vehicle emissions testing in Tennessee.”
