The House Transportation Committee reported House Bill 188 with a favorable recommendation to the House floor after testimony from Representative Robert Duvall and statements from a business owner cited in the sponsor's written material.

Representative Robert Duvall, R., described the bill as clarifying how many vehicles a drive-away company may have on the road at once and allowing those businesses to purchase a number of plates that matches that maximum. He said the change is intended to reduce insurance exposure and lower premiums for companies that transport vehicles over long distances.

Duvall told the committee a Warren County business closed in April 2024 partly because Kentucky law was unclear, producing higher insurance costs. He said the company faced annual premiums of about $300,000 in Kentucky compared with about $120,000 in surrounding states because insurers treated the firms as exposed to greater risk under current interpretations.

The sponsor said House Bill 188 does not affect auto-dealer tags and does not apply to vehicles transported on trailers or semitrailers by the full-mount method; he is preparing a floor amendment to make those exclusions explicit.

Duvall read a letter from Oakley Michelle Vaughn, a business owner affected by the issue: "The outcome of your decision will determine the future of our business... The best thing you can do is register your business in either Indiana or Tennessee and I can probably help you," the letter said, as read by Duvall.

After brief questions and no further debate, the committee conducted a roll call and the chair reported House Bill 188 out of committee with a favorable recommendation to the House floor.