Summary of Legislation

            This fiscal note is being revised to reflect the change in the effective date and the Department of Personnel 1998-99 supplemental appropriation. Under current law, motor vehicles owned by governmental entities operating within the AIR program area are to be inspected annually. The fee for each inspection is $24.25. This bill would move government-owned vehicles to the same testing cycle that is imposed on private entities. The cycle is as follows for vehicles with model years that are:

            •   four years old or less, the vehicles are not tested;

            •   1982 or less, the vehicles are tested every two years; and

            •   1981 and older, the vehicles are tested every year.

State Revenues

            It is assumed that state and local government entities are complying with current law and vehicles are being tested annually. For each test, the state receives 25 cents for the cost of the window emissions sticker. There are an estimated 30,000 government-owned vehicles in the AIR program area. Vehicles that are less than four years old would not pay the emissions sticker fee under this bill. Vehicles that are more than four years old and newer than 1982 would pay the fee every other year, reducing the cost by half. Vehicles that are older than 1981 would continue to pay the annual sticker fee. For purposes of this fiscal note it is assumed that 15 percent of the vehicles would be 4 years old or less, 80 percent would be more than 4 years old but newer than 1982 model year, and 5 percent would be 1981 model year or older. The estimated loss of sticker revenue would be $2,831 in AIR Account Funds annually.

State Expenditures

            The General Assembly did not approve the Department of Personnel’s request for additional funding to comply with the current law so that vehicles could be tested every year. The department would continue its current emissions testing practice. This bill would conform the law to the department’s current practice, therefore, the department would not require an additional appropriation. Should this bill not be adopted, the Department of Personnel would submit another supplemental appropriation to request additional funds to comply with the current law’s annual emissions testing requirement.

Local Government Impact

            Local governments would have reduced costs of complying with the AIR Program as a result of this bill. The amount of the reduced costs would depend upon the number of vehicles owned by a governmental entity and the vehicle age.

State Appropriations

            This fiscal note implies that no additional appropriation would be required to implement this bill.

Departments Contacted

            Personnel        Revenue          Health