[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6243758,"mediaKeyId","3237761-285ec23f92e099ed0f71fbae4c486d0d","parentId",3237761,"title","House transportation committee advances early-renewal and outreach language, opens study of vehicle tax and inspection impacts","audioSeconds",1698,"startMs",2390000,"endMs",4088000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237761-285ec23f92e099ed0f71fbae4c486d0d&start=2390&end=4088","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237761-285ec23f92e099ed0f71fbae4c486d0d/thumbnail_2390000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6243758/Vermont/House-transportation-committee-advances-early-renewal-and-outreach-language-opens-study-of-vehicle-tax-and-inspection-impacts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243758-3984ff968f019e7439b73bc2ec49c16c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770999197&Signature=h3dQMhWSLfq7pe2liKolscpM2kmC-IjxhVz8tMO2RQNC6X5Nfvoh3~RNdUBEcIRPJrTCmn1QciFPGfG8LYMoB60sToRRBemvUNBMr4lis93K9ZagWJi5gg43xUtLN4rnYDfYAHCwgLRbCViA7ACWxJsVshP2csu9crBfn-IGaO4juTqRJUmoj-Bgf3j6cilifDboHo2F2F3wmsTuH5H9MRlgerx8UUyidBm0CnMDqetckYAVbCEinaWcvUzXw2x421jI1G9RPUVcf9J9mcMVpSPQojOniPvFLMtlAia-zRLPzwVCoQk~Lte9Hn79qes60oLfwyHMU~5r7sLHxoISGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-08T13:32:18Z","article","The House Committee on Transportation on May 8 worked through multiple sections of S.123 (motor-vehicle provisions), advancing items on early renewals and outreach while asking the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for follow-up reports on tax and inspection concerns.

Committee action and immediate outcomes

The committee agreed to include the senate’s provisions allowing motor-vehicle operator licenses and non-driver IDs to be renewed “at any time prior to expiration,” a change that removes the current six-month-only renewal window. Committee members recorded a unanimous informal show of hands approving inclusion of sections 15 and 16 as the senate passed them; the clerk noted the sections are now in the bill as the committee version.

The committee also reviewed section 18 about DMV outreach and gender-marker options for operator licenses, privilege cards and non-driver IDs. Members altered the draft language to clarify “an individual’s ability under Vermont law to self-attest with respect to the gender marker” and directed DMV to begin outreach earlier than the November 15, 2025 date that had been in the draft. DMV representatives told the committee they planned to begin outreach immediately and could move faster than the draft date.

Study/report on purchase-and-use tax and inspection impact

Senate drafters had added a non-legislative study committee in late-stage senate changes to examine the purchase-and-use tax and inspection rules (including whether vehicles with an illuminated onboard-diagnostic malfunction indicator light should fail inspection if the defect does not affect safety). After discussion the House committee did not form a separate study committee; instead legislative counsel presented alternative language asking the DMV commissioner to submit a report on or before Jan. 15, 2026. That report would at minimum describe: how the DMV computes taxable cost for used vehicles; the number of dealer-appraisal petitions and appeals in 2024–25; differences between appraised values and the clean trade-in values used today; and a summary of potential assists or funding for low-income Vermonters to meet annual inspections, plus administrative or legislative options to reduce adverse impacts while maintaining safety and air quality.

DMV and implementation concerns

Aaron Collier of DMV explained the agency supports moving quickly on early-renewal authority but asked for a short implementation window so staff can train and vendors can adjust systems. DMV staff told the committee they expected they could implement an early-renewal policy within “a couple weeks after passage” administratively, but committee members also heard questions about the November system modernization rollout and whether software changes needed for an eight-year license option (a separately proposed amendment discussed below) would require additional vendor programming and cost.

Eight-year renewal amendment discussed but not adopted

Representative Emily Tomlinson (author of a draft amendment) presented language to add an eight-year license/ID renewal option alongside existing two- and four-year terms. Her amendment would let applicants elect a second-, fourth- or eighth-anniversary expiration and set the eight-year fees at roughly double the four-year fee (the amendment text set an eight-year operator-license fee at $124 and an eight-year non-driver ID fee at $58). Tomlinson said the change is intended to give longer-term stability for transgender and nonbinary Vermonters who rely on state identification; supporters asked the committee to solicit further testimony on operational and fiscal impacts. Committee members asked DMV and the Joint Fiscal Office for more detailed cost and revenue analysis before any final vote. The committee did not adopt the eight-year option on the spot; members requested additional testimony and review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - 2025-05-08 - 9:32AM","oneSentenceSummary","The House Committee on Transportation on May 8 worked through multiple sections of S.123 (motor-vehicle provisions), advancing items on early renewals and outreach while asking the Department of Motor Vehicles for follow-up reports on tax and inspection concerns.","taxTitle","Transportation, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35155,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6243762,"Vermont vehicle sales lag national surge; electric-vehicle share falls short of state target",159,9000,168000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3237761-285ec23f92e099ed0f71fbae4c486d0d&start=9&end=168","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3237761-285ec23f92e099ed0f71fbae4c486d0d/thumbnail_9000.jpg","/articles/6243762/Vermont/Vermont-vehicle-sales-lag-national-surge-electric-vehicle-share-falls-short-of-state-target","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243762-f91b5b170acbe8b1035348243c3f8779/orig.mp4?Expires=1770999197&Signature=OvkDG1Rq8JaGFPWdd0QrRmiMitbSHfaJnUkNUS8RboWwq1A3unpqtIjGLBK2GbVYrDAyb98ZDMdM6UkrzZLYXB6u-mXhQYU50Hjo0jfiIQoo5NlyS4ytukK7jQ4OOl2a6cv9pduSBuL~AxfUI1o~8WMyy5mauzxlYm52ZKP78-Wq8SiQ0SuoOdZccRBc~hzD2JaoqNpa2XtDqdpjFmouaBB-vRBIQ437vhkz57bx7iQ-RU1COX4NGW6QsIpJITK3Q~5gRODx6VEG2dOwkxspsYEZeZIyNqgjHkzxl8yvYChrZToNucOpPjPuKn5kkp26MMbRfjUjY9IB8xTSb2j14w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Matt Coda, a market analyst who identified himself to the House Committee on Transportation as presenting on behalf of Meadow Del and Vermont BMW dealers, told lawmakers on May 8 that national new-vehicle sales jumped in April but Vermont did not match that surge.

Coda said the national increase was “nearly an 8% increase in new car sales in the month of April,” driven in part by dealers and manufacturers selling pre-tariff inventory. He said Vermont’s registrations through the first four months of 2025 were down about 13% compared with the same period in 2024 and that January 2024 was an “anomaly” that makes year-to-date comparisons look worse.

Why it matters: Vermont’s vehicle sales and the mix of vehicle powertrains affect both greenhouse-gas emissions and revenue for the state’s transportation and education funds, because purchase-and-use tax receipts depend on vehicle transactions.

Most important details

Coda reported that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) comprised about 8% of new-vehicle registrations in Vermont through April 2025, roughly the same share as in the first four months of 2024. He revised a prior forecast, saying, “I had predicted 14% by the end of the year … I revised that to say that’s 12 and a half percent. I don’t think we’re gonna get to 14% by the end of the year.”

Coda told the committee the state’s adopted rule (referred to in testimony as the California-derived Advanced Clean Cars standard, “ACC 2”) requires 35% of vehicles delivered in model year 2026 to be battery electric or plug-in hybrids. “Absent something happening outside of the borders of Vermont, we’re on track to get to 12 and a half percent battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which is a problem when you consider that the ACC 2 rule requires 35,” he said.

Coda also highlighted a separate concern for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. He said Vermont had “32 battery electric class 2b through class 8 trucks” and that meeting climate goals for heavy vehicles would require thousands more: “We need to get to about 9,200 by the end of the decade,” he testified, citing figures he said came from climate-council work.

Supply and tariffs

Coda attributed part of the April national surge to buying of vehicles already in U.S. ports before tariffs could be applied. He said tariffs could ultimately “add between $2,000 to $12,000 to a vehicle when and if they take effect.” He warned dealers face uncertainty because manufacturers and models will be affected unevenly and because dealers must decide now what inventory to stock while rules and tariffs remain unsettled.

Dealer and workforce impacts

Committee members asked about effects on dealers. Coda said reduced allocations from manufacturers or fees under ACC 2 could lead dealers to get fewer gasoline vehicles and would be a heavier burden on small, single-store dealers than on large groups. He said reduced allocations would reduce staffing needs at dealerships: “If you’re used to getting a hundred vehicles, and now you’re only gonna get 50 … you probably need about half the sales staff.”

What lawmakers asked and what remained open

Representatives asked about causes for 2024’s strong months, the split between plug-in hybrids and full battery-electric models by manufacturer (Toyota sells more PHEVs; Tesla sells only BEVs), and whether incentives affect sales. Coda answered that incentives are one factor but not the only one; local charger access, housing and workplace charging, and vehicle affordability are major constraints.

No formal committee action followed the briefing; the session moved on to bill work. Coda offered to provide the committee the underlying spreadsheet of monthly registrations and additional breakdowns by vehicle class and plug-in vs. full battery-electric if members wanted the data.

Ending

Committee members said they would weigh the sales data and the uncertainties from tariffs and manufacturer allocations as the legislature considers transportation revenues and the state’s vehicle electrification rules going forward.","Industry analyst Matt Coda told the House Transportation Committee that Vermont’s new-vehicle registrations were down year-to-date through April versus 2024, EV share is steady near 8% and the state is unlikely to meet the 35% EV delivery target in model-year 2026 without changes.","actionData","errors"]

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House transportation committee advances early-renewal and outreach language, opens study of vehicle tax and inspection impacts

Vermont vehicle sales lag national surge; electric-vehicle share falls short of state target