HB 1782 passes by 96-0 vote tally in House Monday night.
(NASHVILLE) – An initiative co-sponsored by members of the Wilson County Legislative Delegation, State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) and State Representative Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon), requiring counties to take all necessary steps to end mandatory vehicle emissions testing in Tennessee has passed in the House chamber.
House Bill 1782 — recently approved by a 96-0 vote tally by House members — would apply to residents of Wilson County where emissions testing is still required prior to vehicle registration or renewal.
The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act required the state to develop more restrictive regulations to control air pollution from mobile sources in counties which were not meeting the Federal Standards for air quality.
Currently, testing is done on vehicles with a model year of 1975 and newer if they are powered by a gasoline or diesel engine and weigh up to 10,500 lbs. Over 1.5 million vehicles went through emissions testing in Tennessee last year in the six counties where it is required.
The idea for House Bill 1782 came following a report from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) released last August revealing that all 95 Tennessee counties met federal air quality health standards; after this report was issued, it became clear to the Wilson County Legislative Delegation that mandatory testing was no longer needed.
“Vehicle emissions testing is a process that creates avoidable stress and financial burdens for our working families,” said Representative Lynn. “House Bill 1782 moves Tennessee away from mandatory vehicle emissions testing which benefits our citizens and doesn’t create any harmful environmental side effects.”
“Vehicle testing is not only time consuming but seems to disproportionally affect people who can least afford to make repairs to their cars,” added Representative Boyd. “The people of Wilson County have been loud and clear in their support of this legislation to end emissions testing. I have heard them, and am proud to be a sponsor of this legislation.”
For more information about House Bill 1782, click here.