New Hampshire Lawmakers Advance Plan to Change State Vehicle Inspections

New Hampshire lawmakers have advanced plans to eliminate onboard diagnostic testing and air quality provisions from state vehicle inspections, reports My Keene Now.

This past Friday, the Senate Finance Committee agreed to a budget that would end diagnostic testing and some air quality requirements in state vehicle inspections by 2027. It would also allow new vehicles to skip inspections entirely for three years.

In March, House Bill 649 passed the House, and would have eliminated the safety program entirely—but the Senate Commerce Committee recommended biennial inspections instead before the bill was halted and tabled, with many expecting the bill to be axed this year.

At the recent House hearing, there were many criticisms of the existing safety program. One individual recounted having a legitimate failure on their vehicle, but faced an eight-week wait for tires due to supply chain issues. Upon returning to the vehicle inspector, he was told he would have to be recharged for everything due to a 30-day policy.

While many drivers felt taken advantage of by state inspections, auto shop owners, such as Tim Austin, spoke out against eliminating inspections, warning of what neglected vehicles could do to local environments.

David Dupont, a retired technician from Dover, said he has yet to witness fraud in state safety inspections. He was more concerned with more vehicles potentially polluting local communities.

The vote in the House was 212-143. The budget should be ready for the full Senate to vote on it this Thursday, and it will then go through the House once more before going to Gov. Kelly Ayotte.