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Bill raising vehicle safety inspection fee hangs fire
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Posted on Oct 05 2004
The House of Representatives deferred action on the bill giving vehicle safety inspectors the option to raise fees from the current $5 to a maximum of $15.
House Bill 14-168 drew criticism from lawmakers, particularly House minority floor leader Heinz Hofschneider who maintained that the fee increase may be a form of taxing vehicle owners.
For his part, Speaker Benigno Fitial sought clarification on the coverage of the bill—whether it will include all vehicles or only commercial ones.
The House referred the bill back to the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations for further review.
Authored by Rep. Claudio K. Norita, H.B.14-168 would give operators of vehicle safety inspection stations the option to raise the current $5 fee for four-wheel vehicles such as jeeps, pickups, and sedans to a maximum fee of $15.
The measure would also impose a $40 inspection fee for motor carriers. Further, the bill proposes that all fees collected from the inspection of motor carriers be paid to the CNMI Treasury.
The House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations, chaired by Rep.Jesus SN. Lizama, has recommended the passage of the bill.
