[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",6262868,"mediaKeyId","3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22","parentId",3111233,"title","Committee reviews S.66 to address road noise, muffler tampering and heavy-truck braking noise","audioSeconds",671,"startMs",962000,"endMs",1633000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22&start=962&end=1633","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22/thumbnail_962000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6262868/Vermont/Committee-reviews-S66-to-address-road-noise-muffler-tampering-and-heavy-truck-braking-noise","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262868-e584bc96c4b8898124338ab540ec4bf2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415367&Signature=mITVNVTrICYpJHMnz2ij16UDtMSxkqWtpY9rM83nUF8lafIOJh0c7Qd7D4EYCSSPTnM~1-z94Z2nrSciJBi0rVULeCq9XrsACUhudqCYixbGj2Qojx1B0hNdj-q7uP~~algjQ804s9BQY4VWDTkEKyxNt4PjyvT~wqcnqoYeOZeQAS~sgsk7MMnWJzdfSXV78sz1TYDKRou-5hNpu6hHWvoOfPZNNEEMVlldYgN8NYUVUeKKRee4vHhONhba9IOMDNOadwbxBmLXcfCInnelX3W5C3v~EoBlNGinuways4dQT6NJD3D9kKtsygA04sJIYXa5a2TCsUXB7P7GtW9cYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-24T15:37:46.707Z","article","Senator White presented S.66 on April 24 as legislation to address excessive road noise and to create enforceable standards. She said the measure grew out of constituent complaints in Springfield and other communities about sleep disruption and diminished enjoyment of property: \"They were hit with barriers at every possible step,\" she said, and the bill is a \"last option\" for residents who exhausted local and DMV channels.

Section 1 focuses on vehicle-level tampering and muffler standards. The bill would prohibit operation of a highway motor vehicle equipped with a muffler lacking interior baffling, a gutted muffler, muffler cutout or straight-pipe exhaust. It also requires that highway motor vehicles manufactured after 1985 be labeled in compliance with specified federal regulations; Senator White said that standard is consistent with existing federal labeling and is not a newly invented state requirement. Senator White emphasized the bill is not aimed at older motorcycles or performance exhausts but at \"very visual gutted muffler tampering\" that causes excessive, disruptive noise.

Section 2 addresses heavy trucks and engine compression brakes (often referred to as \"Jake brakes\"). The bill would prohibit operation of motor trucks or tractor trucks equipped with engine compression brake devices unless the vehicle has a muffler to prevent excessive noise. The bill preserves an emergency exception: use of an engine compression brake to slow or stop in an emergency would not be a violation. The bill would allow inspectors, including at operator inspection sites, to fail vehicles for a muffler that does not prevent excessive noise; Senator White said the committee had removed a prohibition on inspection sites inspecting their own vehicles after hearing truckers preferred to inspect and maintain compliance themselves. The bill also preserves municipal authority to enact local ordinances prohibiting compression-brake use in downtowns.

Sections 3 and 4 direct DMV to work with the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) on rulemaking and public outreach and request a noise-levels report that examines other states' laws, including Maine, which uses a process allowing a ticket to stand until a vehicle owner proves the vehicle does not violate a noise standard. Senator White said sections 3 and 4 would take effect in 2025; the vehicle and truck provisions (sections 1 and 2) would take effect in 2026 to allow implementation time.

Senator White cited testimony from a pediatrician presented in the Senate hearing about possible health impacts of repetitive road noise and recommended inviting that pediatrician and planning professional Laurie Eubanks Hill to the committee.

Ending: Senator White urged the committee to consider the DMV noise report and the public testimony gathered in the Senate and to provide reasons if the committee chose not to take the bill up this year.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - 2025-04-24 - 9:05AM","oneSentenceSummary","Senator White presented S.66 to the House Transportation Committee, proposing state limits on gutted mufflers and requirements for mufflers on heavy-truck engine compression brakes, and directing DMV rulemaking and a regional noise-levels study.","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},6262872,"House Transportation hears presentation on S.46 to expand tax exemptions for forestry vehicles",314,111000,425000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22&start=111&end=425","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22/thumbnail_111000.jpg","/articles/6262872/Vermont/House-Transportation-hears-presentation-on-S46-to-expand-tax-exemptions-for-forestry-vehicles","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262872-63b729c60141d9dc9f187bd38dabce4e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415367&Signature=Tdceq7Qb-XOjTpF3IWqI46XkZQT42mCRDANnd1CTw1iSerHSwVsfvPIrJjfF~oDlEgu8Lu-rdcElQ0kSTFWGdksdoGYXZzf9MnywDIrEbcJGzVmuRqoRBfrGhRru2lkTtAHGRjbqUuZiPlJVfc0wo1vWKDvJOrQK7dt-1GHXyP~G1iuws4G~KMpbIifOm-8Ddyoth~LKJymG6SyBQcu~knrnWgYzXs6ayktKfUTHg9QxVy0nuon-b~UixVIsTWAYozSuBfv3mCwWuUmwkLHmxnC8kuG~5CaJKGMY20830-BEp5c4PARI8ZBbJ7bxr4iP5rzl~RPhcGLyUTwYLIUfbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator White, a lead sponsor of S.46, told the House Transportation Committee on April 24 that the bill would expand tax exemptions for vehicles and repair parts used in forestry operations to help a struggling forest-products sector. \"We have a forestry industry that is struggling,\" she said, and the bill seeks to include in exemptions vehicles that transport forest products in addition to on-site harvesting equipment.

The bill, as passed by the Senate, would reduce the final tax imposed by the chapter by 50% for specified motor vehicles and their repair parts used for timber cutting, removal and processing; examples listed in the bill include semi-trailers, tractors, truck cranes, truck tractors, trailers, motor trucks and motor vehicles with a manufacturer's listed gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more. Senator White said the 10,000-pound threshold was added to target commercial heavy vehicles rather than private pickups repurposed to claim an exemption.

Senator White said the Senate version also includes a sunset on the exemption set to expire in 2028 and directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to publish guidance. She noted the Senate bill narrowed an originally broader exemption and that the bill includes repair parts to avoid disincentives for safety and efficiency upgrades: \"to then pay a tax when you're upgrading your components can be a barrier to then upgrading your components, which can mean less efficient vehicles and even, in certain cases, less safe vehicles,\" she said.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about which vehicles would qualify, whether finished-wood transport would be covered, and the fiscal impact. Representative Pausch asked whether the vehicle category covers on-road log trucks and whether finished wood shipments to customers would be included; Senator White said section 1(b) of the bill identifies covered vehicles and that legislative counsel and industry witnesses (including the Logger Association and local trucking firms such as Eastman Trucking) could clarify edge cases. Representative Webb asked what operators currently pay; White replied that entities currently defined as forestry businesses already are tax-exempt and the bill expands that scope.

Committee members asked about sales-tax impacts on parts and local-option sales taxes. Senator White pointed members to the Joint Fiscal Office fiscal note tied to the Senate and House versions and suggested staff from JFO and DMV (Logan Moberry was mentioned) could provide numbers.

Senator White recommended inviting industry witnesses including Dana Doran from the Logger Association and representatives of Eastman Trucking and Sam Lincoln (Lamoille County) for technical questions and implementation concerns. She also said she would provide the committee with the list of witnesses who testified in the Senate.

Ending: Senator White closed by saying the legislation had bipartisan support in the Senate and suggested folding the measure into a DMV miscellaneous bill could be an option. She asked that the committee hear industry and DMV testimony before moving forward.

","Senator White presented S.46, a bill that would expand purchase/use tax and sales-tax exemptions for certain forestry vehicles and repair parts, set a 50% tax reduction for specified heavy vehicles, and include a sunset provision extending to 2028.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6262857,"House members debate H.503 and advanced-clean-truck rules, citing industry and climate concerns",665,2960000,3625000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22&start=2960&end=3625","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22/thumbnail_2960000.jpg","/articles/6262857/Vermont/House-members-debate-H503-and-advanced-clean-truck-rules-citing-industry-and-climate-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262857-034fa36d4f4fbf95d9e4a0d12211cc76/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415367&Signature=GTMMp5HtYmq6WyKoa-hlJDOgL9U7hzccmZ4xLrBSbY0Pux9eHMUGB53lsewXpNQ77p6KTUyZWGOG6oSs2-n9QWFOqJ32P-iqrkQmxqXiPwH9fOKuC~s-8kLJ4Uw6E11I2uga7Cy~i-WBLRaOmc2XJVkmAniUZ~CbYtw2jSGgFRlT-tXM4cIbvVut7vdOm~1zoPcesQzEo3xO5jjvpHQJd2hqGFj61Uw-3Dz8M1SiNFvmSce4ZzD~Y5P66CIyeJP0nxmDRve9MKWPxO3cd-9AMm1oz4QpYpelg0AHULGiYct1hFs8p3S8WYUSLGeAbkSHdemlW6gzQfq1YCFKkZ0h4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Chris Kieser told the House Transportation Committee on April 24 that H.503 aims to address near-term harms he and others believe the Advanced Clean Trucks program would cause to Vermont trucking businesses and workers. Kieser said testimony and research indicated manufacturers and vehicles are not ready for immediate compliance timelines and that the rule would risk job losses and out-of-state registrations: \"We're going to push them out of state,\" he said, urging that the committee consider a path that gives industry time to adapt.

Representative Wells cited a specific state revenue figure: \"In 02/2024, these trucks generated over $15,000,000 in purchase and use taxes and registration fees that fund our roads and our schools,\" and warned that lost sales and out-of-state registrations would reduce state revenue. Several members described operational limitations for current electric-truck technology, including range and reliability issues that constrain long-haul and dairy-transport applications.

Other members said the Advanced Clean Trucks program is one tool among many in the climate plan and noted the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has rulemaking authority and a three-year compliance flexibility built into the program. Representative Pout and others observed that ANR can adopt amendments to extend compliance windows, potentially avoiding the need for legislative interruption. Representative Lally urged a broader rethinking of land-use and transportation strategies rather than relying solely on vehicle electrification.

Kieser and supporters said they sought a legislative solution to provide a five-year adjustment period; opponents and some committee members suggested working with ANR and the Climate Council to examine compliance flexibility and supporting investments (such as charging infrastructure) before changing statutory or regulatory direction.

Ending: The committee agreed to gather more technical testimony from ANR, the Climate Council and affected industry actors to clarify compliance timelines, available exemptions and potential fiscal impacts before taking further action.

","Representative Chris Kieser presented H.503, which would alter or delay parts of the state's advanced clean trucks implementation; presenters and committee members debated economic impacts on Vermont dealers and truck-service employers, tax revenue risks, technology readiness and ANR rulemaking flexibility.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6262863,"Representative Rachelson urges limits on law-enforcement use of license-plate readers as statutory sunset approaches",370,1815000,2185000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22&start=1815&end=2185","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3111233-02b49be61c25163dac822a335d134e22/thumbnail_1815000.jpg","/articles/6262863/Vermont/Representative-Rachelson-urges-limits-on-law-enforcement-use-of-license-plate-readers-as-statutory-sunset-approaches","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6262863-d441cb17fc479847e77e203f13595031/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415367&Signature=PUhUVG1h8Sh1r8~Lm-wYAp3NQH2wJ2IVNHJLmeXcc~aSQ4BPM2jXlOIZwjgdHqdDZWFfLlUaN9yXdz7~4bS2gI6az5e0DYLik4FLjnVA6V5hy3aeTg6nqPopzZrBjAxYdW4-KaAJrA9E50rPPpbeeR6Et8NwjK9lJfnG6O561soGVlBu0-rYmW8R~2jyey5fjv2Awxgs-5o9uGBwVnPOgSUgOrSx4DLSfgjGX2Y2ElLqdEbq0xPR7b1xL9B-TQmv0JlHk~fSTK9ggiLyMJkjy6aWqcmDz0aIqk24GItPfj9iwPRODpOeuziiCfoSM3J~uz0LvAKDZMlxUA7eBS7AdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Barbara Rachelson presented House Bill 500 to the House Transportation Committee on April 24, stating that current statutory restrictions on automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) are set to expire on July 1 and that lawmakers should consider retaining or updating limits on law-enforcement use.

Rachelson said the committee previously limited ALPR use with a sunset and training, and that recent technology changes make the issue timely: \"the technology's changed again. So it's not very expensive equipment...you can get it for free if you agree to send x amount of license plate reader photos into this national database,\" she said, warning that numerous private companies have built large ALPR data repositories used for commercial and law-enforcement purposes.

She said the current law governs law-enforcement use, including retention time and permitted purposes, but that repeal of the sunset would leave fewer statewide controls. Rachelson noted gaps in knowledge about DMV data-sharing practices and called for clarity about who can access ALPR data and how long images are retained. She recommended coordinating with House Judiciary on law-enforcement uses and said her longstanding concern is protecting civil liberties while allowing legitimate uses such as Amber Alerts.

Committee members discussed whether a reinstated statute would regulate only law enforcement (not universities, private companies, or private cameras) and how current pilot programs and construction-site usage interact with existing law. Rachelson said the current law does not reach all commercial/private databases and that without statewide standards, law enforcement may obtain access to outside databases. She urged review of past reports and data and suggested the committee obtain additional information before deciding whether to act this session.

Ending: Rachelson offered to provide committee members with the prior statute text and supporting reports and suggested further intercommittee coordination with Judiciary for law-enforcement aspects.

","Representative Barbara Rachelson presented House Bill 500, seeking to reinstate or replace statutory limits on law-enforcement use, retention and training for automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) before a scheduled sunset on July 1; she warned rapid commercialization of plate databases raises privacy concerns.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews S.66 to address road noise, muffler tampering and heavy-truck braking noise

House Transportation hears presentation on S.46 to expand tax exemptions for forestry vehicles

House members debate H.503 and advanced-clean-truck rules, citing industry and climate concerns

Representative Rachelson urges limits on law-enforcement use of license-plate readers as statutory sunset approaches