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Conference committee debates timeline and calculation method for mileage-based user fee
Summary
A Vermont legislative conference committee reviewed differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill that would implement a mileage-based user fee, including a six-month shift in the proposed start date and differing intent language about how the fee should be calculated.
Sen. Becca White, vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, convened a conference committee meeting to compare the House and Senate versions of a transportation bill that includes provisions to implement a mileage-based user fee.
The committee discussed a Senate proposal to push the programs start date back six months and to define the fees intended parity differently than the House version. Damian Leonard, counsel with the Office of Legislative Council, told the committee the Senate versions dates move the target start from July 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027, and that the Senates intent language would tie the initial fee to average state fuel-tax revenue amounts rather than the Houses language, which referenced state and federal fuel-tax revenue together.
"The senate proposed a start date that is pushed out by 6 months for the mileage based user piece, so target date of 01/01/2027 instead of 07/01/2026," Leonard said. He added that the senate language also clarifies that the mileage-based user fee "would not be collected until the General Assembly enacts legislation that establishes the amount of the fee and codifies any necessary authorizing language, and that legislation becomes effective."
Why it matters: the fee is designed to replace or supplement fuel taxes as vehicle fleets electrify, and differences between the chambers affect projected revenues and the statutes scope. The committee did not vote on final language; members treated the session as a section-by-section walkthrough to identify points of agreement and outstanding items to resolve when absent members return.
Supporting details: Leonard said the House had deleted one section that remained in the Senate version and that the two bodies differ on whether the calculation should reflect state-only fuel-tax averages or combined state and federal averages. He also noted the Senate added intent language that the mileage-based user fee be an interim step toward expanding a mileage-based system to all motor vehicles.
The House Transportation Committee chair, who spoke but was not named in the record, and Sen. White indicated they would reconvene once absent members return to continue negotiations.
Next steps: committee members proposed additional meetings later in the week to resolve the date and the formula, but no formal action or vote was taken during this session.
