Source: CBS7 News

AUSTIN — Your annual vehicle inspection may be no more after Senator Don Huffines (R-Dallas) filed Senate Bill 1588.

According to a press release, the Senate Bill would repeal the annual requirement that all passenger vehicles receive a state-certified inspection.

In a statement Senator Huffines says,” With significant technological advances in vehicle design and technology, this 66-year-old program is a relic of the past. State government is wasting Texans’ time & money on the annual chore of passenger inspections when 34 other states, including populous states like California, don’t require it of their drivers. Once you realize that these inspections aren’t about safety, it’s clear that they’re simply a tax on Texans’ time and money.”

The inspections began in 1951, then in 1976 the federal government decided to drop the nationwide requirement.

According to the release, today, only 16 states still impose this mandate on drivers.

If passed this proposal would save drivers approximately $150 million, and 9 million hours that are lost while having passenger vehicles inspected.

“This is perhaps the most onerous and needless mandate that state
government imposes on its citizens. With nearly 20 million inspections done annually, most Texans will feel immediate relief with the elimination of this program. It’s a joyous day in the Capitol when we have the opportunity to help millions of hard-working Texans by getting a worthless mandate off of their backs,” Huffines concluded.