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S 3013Personal

Motor and Other Vehicles - Inspection of Motor Vehicles

This bill raises vehicle inspection fees to $75 to fund inspection stations, road maintenance, and public transit.

Held for study
Population
Affected
72
Introduced Mar 5, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation increases the fees required for motor vehicle inspections in Rhode Island, effective January 1, 2027. The fee for inspecting most passenger vehicles will rise from $55.00 to $75.00. Additionally, the inspection fee for motorcycles and electric vehicles will increase from $11.00 to $15.00. The bill specifies how the new revenue will be distributed: inspection stations will retain a larger portion of the fee, more funds will go to road maintenance, and a new allocation of $10.00 per inspection will be deposited directly into the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) to support public transportation.

For younger readers

In Rhode Island, adults who own cars must take them to a shop to make sure they are safe to drive and don't pollute the air. This is called an inspection. This bill changes the rules so that starting in the year 2027, it will cost more money to get this inspection done. The extra money will be used to pay the mechanics who check the cars, fix the roads, and help pay for the public buses that people ride.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Vehicle OwnersInspection Station OwnersRhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA)Motorcycle OwnersElectric Vehicle Owners
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Vehicle Owners: $75 per inspection (increase of $20), Motorcycle/EV Owners: $15 per inspection (increase of $4)
Estimated revenue
RIPTA: $10 per inspection, Highway Maintenance Account: Approximately $37 per inspection

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Establishes a dedicated revenue stream for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), ensuring consistent funding to maintain and potentially expand public transportation services which are vital for low-income communities and reducing carbon emissions.
  • Increases the fee retention for inspection station owners, potentially supporting small business owners and allowing for better wages for the mechanics and workers performing the inspections.
  • Directs additional funds toward the highway maintenance account, ensuring that public infrastructure remains safe and functional for the community at large.
  • Implements a flat fee increase which functions as a regressive tax, disproportionately burdening low-income vehicle owners who spend a higher percentage of their income on mandatory state fees compared to wealthy residents.
  • Increases the cost of living for working-class families who rely on personal vehicles for employment in areas where public transit is currently insufficient or unavailable.
  • Relies on user fees from private vehicle owners to fund public transit rather than utilizing progressive taxation methods, such as corporate taxes or income taxes on high earners, to subsidize public goods.
For Conservatives
  • Utilizes a "user fee" model where those who use the roads (drivers) pay for the maintenance of infrastructure and related services, rather than relying on broad-based income or sales taxes.
  • Increases the amount of money private businesses (inspection stations) are allowed to keep for their services, acknowledging the rising costs of doing business and reduced profit margins.
  • Ensures continued funding for highway maintenance, supporting the physical infrastructure necessary for commerce and the transport of goods.
  • Imposes a significant 36% fee hike on citizens, increasing the financial burden on families and individuals during a time of high inflation.
  • Redistributes wealth by forcing private vehicle owners to directly subsidize a government-run public transit system (RIPTA) that they may not use, rather than forcing the agency to operate within its own means.
  • Expands government revenue collection significantly, further bloating the state budget and reducing the disposable income of private citizens.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 24 additions · 1 deletion

SECTION 1. Section 31-38-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-38 entitled "Inspection of Motor Vehicles" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-38-7. Operation of official stations.

(a) No permit for an official station shall be assigned or transferred or used at any location other than designated in it, and the permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place at the designated location.

(b) The state-certified person operating an official inspection station shall issue a certificate of inspection and approval upon an official form to the owner of a vehicle upon inspection of the vehicle and determining that its equipment required under the provisions of this chapter is in good condition and proper adjustment, otherwise, no certificate shall be issued. A record and report shall be made of every inspection and every certificate issued. The records shall be kept available for review by those employees of the department of revenue that the director may designate.

(c) The following fees shall be charged for inspection and issuance of certificate of inspection and approval:

(1) For every vehicle with a registered gross weight of not more than eight thousand five hundred pounds (8,500 lbs.), the fee shall be included with the fee charged pursuant to § 31-47.1- 11;

(2) For every vehicle of a registered gross weight of more than eight thousand five hundred pounds (8,500 lbs.) or more, except trailers, fifteen dollars ($15.00);

(3) For every motorcycle and electrically powered vehicle, eleven dollars ($11.00) fifteen dollars ($15.00);

(4) For every trailer or semi-trailer with a registered gross weight of more than one thousand pounds (1,000 lbs.), eleven dollars ($11.00); and

(5) Provided, that for the inspection of vehicles used for the transportation of persons for hire, as provided in § 31-22-12, and subject to an inspection pursuant to chapter 47.1 of this title, the fee shall be included with the fee charged pursuant to § 31-47.1-11.

(d) The director of the department of revenue may establish a state inspection facility at which any motor vehicle may be reinspected at no cost to the owner. The state inspection facility may inspect all public conveyance vehicles or these inspections may be otherwise provided for by the director, or any other vehicles which, in the opinion of the director of revenue, or his or her designee, require specific testing to ensure for the health and safety of the general public.

(e) Any other inspections or activities which may be required to be performed at a state inspection facility may be performed at any official inspection station if determined by the director.

SECTION 2. Section 31-47.1-11 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-47.1 entitled "Motor Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-47.1-11. Fees.

(a) Beginning in fiscal year 2015 until January 1, 2027, a fee of fifty-five dollars ($55.00) is to be charged for each motor vehicle inspected. The amount of fees collected shall provide for the cost of the inspection, the costs of administering the motor vehicle emissions inspection program and other costs provided by law. The fee must be paid for each motor vehicle inspected at an emissions inspection station at the time of the inspection and is payable whether a compliance certificate, waiver certificate, or no certificate is issued. There shall be no fee charged for one reinspection of a vehicle that failed an initial inspection when the reinspection is conducted at the AIRS that conducted the initial inspection. Of the fifty-five dollars ($55.00) fee, nineteen dollars ($19.00) shall be retained by the inspection station owner to cover the costs of performing the inspection. The remaining thirty-six dollars ($36.00) shall be remitted to the program manager. The program manager shall retain no more than four dollars ($4.00) of the fee and remit no less than thirty-two dollars ($32.00) for deposit in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account. Be it further provided that twenty dollars ($20.00) generated from the fee be deposited into the Rhode Island highway maintenance fund according to the schedule provided in subsection (b) of § 39-18.1-5. The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as may be required to cover the costs of administering the program by the division of motor vehicles and the department of environmental management.

(b) [Deleted by P.L. 2014, ch. 145, art. 21, § 6]. (c)(1) On and after January 1, 2027, a fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) is to be charged for each motor vehicle inspected. The amount of fees collected shall provide for the cost of the inspection, the costs of administering the motor vehicle emissions inspection program and other costs provided by law. The fee shall be paid for each motor vehicle inspected at an emissions inspection station at the time of the inspection and is payable whether a compliance certificate, waiver certificate, or no certificate is issued. There shall be no fee charged for one reinspection of a vehicle that failed an initial inspection when the reinspection is conducted at the AIRS that conducted the initial inspection.

(2) Of the seventy-five dollar ($75.00) fee charged pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c)(1) of this section, twenty-four dollars ($24.00) shall be retained by the inspection station owner to cover the costs of performing the inspection. The remaining fifty-one dollars ($51.00) shall be remitted to the program manager. The program manager shall retain no more than four dollars ($4.00) of the fee and remit no less than thirty-seven dollars ($37.00) for deposit in the Rhode Island highway maintenance account. Twenty dollars ($20.00) generated from the fee shall be deposited into the Rhode Island highway maintenance fund according to the schedule in § 39-18.1- 5(b). The remaining ten dollars ($10.00) shall be deposited directly to Rhode Island public transit authority (RIPTA). The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as may be required to cover the costs of administering the program by the division of motor vehicles and the department of environmental management.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.