Senate Transportation advances S.66 on vehicle noise and exhaust rules; committee debates driver‑license renewal and DMV outreach

The Senate Transportation Committee voted to advance a strike‑all amendment to S.66, a bill addressing motor vehicle noise, exhaust modifications and engine compression brakes, while opening debate on related driver‑license renewal changes and DMV outreach requirements.

The amendment directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop rules to implement maximum sound levels for motor vehicles and trucks, clarifies enforcement and appeal procedures, preserves existing motorcycle requirements, removes a proposed civil penalty for certain exhaust modifications and permits municipalities to adopt local restrictions on j‑brake use. It sets a rulemaking deadline of July 1, 2026, unless extended by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR), and requires the DMV to begin public outreach at least two months before the effective date.

David Leonard, Office of Legislative Council, who drafted the strike‑all amendment, told the committee he had “done it as a strike‑all amendment of S.66, making the modifications that we discussed yesterday,” and walked members through deletions (including language aimed at devices that amplify exhaust sound) and the rulemaking and outreach timeline.

Why it matters: the amendment creates both technical inspection requirements that will need to be written into the DMV inspection manual and a public‑facing education effort. Committee members and agency staff warned that the timing of rulemaking, manual changes and outreach must be coordinated to avoid having enforceable statutory standards with no updated inspection procedures in place.

Joint Fiscal flagged long‑term revenue risks when members discussed proposals to lengthen operator license validity. "That shift, absent other changes, will create a fiscal cliff in future years," said Christopher, Joint Fiscal staff, summarizing the office's preliminary review and noting that roughly "150,000 licenses a year" are issued and that an 8‑year renewal cycle would boost near‑term revenue but cause a substantial dip later unless offsets are made.

A bill sponsor defended changes aimed at giving some people the option to renew earlier. "The reason I introduced that language was not anything beyond the necessity and desire to protect a very vulnerable group of people," said Senator (sponsor), arguing that earlier renewal options would give transgender Vermonters peace of mind when federal identification renewals are uncertain.

Committee members crafted compromise language: they removed a standalone proposal to move all licenses to an 8‑year cycle after Joint Fiscal warned of a multi‑year revenue cliff, and instead discussed language that would allow early renewal for a four‑year credential and possible prorating. Logan, legislative staff, was asked to circulate detailed draft language and a fiscal estimate.

On fees and other amendments, the committee agreed to delete section 5 of the draft, which would have changed the charge for replacement registration certificates; the committee left the replacement‑registration fee at $20 whether printed online or obtained in person. A fiscal memorandum on the bill also references an estimated $116,000 in potential revenue tied to certain fee changes; committee members asked staff to confirm how that figure was calculated.

The bill contains a subsection directing the DMV to produce a report on motor vehicle noise that examines maximum sound‑level proposals (which may vary by vehicle type, weight and speed), enforcement methods, citizen reporting mechanisms and appeal procedures, and to study laws and procedures in Maine and other New England states before recommending specific numeric limits.

Department and stakeholder testimony on outreach and related technical issues prompted further drafting. Andrew Collier, Department of Motor Vehicles representative, said the DMV follows national and international standards for how names and characters appear on licenses and stressed technical limits on character count: "we're on the national standard and international standard, which is AMLO," he told the committee, noting constraints that affect how names and special characters are displayed on credentials.

On benefits targeted to young people formerly in foster care, Amanda Churchill Kipp, Department for Children and Families staff, provided figures for draft fee waivers and supports: the agency identified roughly 150 youth and an annual cost near $15,000 for the provision as drafted, and worked with legislative staff on alternate language extending eligibility to individuals up to 23 years of age who were in DCF custody after turning 14.

The DMV asked the committee to consider extending the rulemaking and effective‑date timeline for related inspection manual changes to July 1, 2028, citing the technical and information‑technology work needed to update the manual and system changes. The committee discussed the request; some members signaled a preference to keep the July 1, 2026 deadline and to rely on LCAR extensions if agencies need more time, while also noting the practical importance of aligning effective dates across related bills.

Committee members asked staff to redraft and narrow the outreach language so it matches the final bill text and the DMV's existing language‑access plans rather than prescribing an expensive statewide media campaign. The committee also requested that DMV staff return to explain current name‑printing and language protocols so members can determine whether a separate study is necessary.

After discussion, the committee took a formal vote to move the strike‑all amendment to S.66 out of committee. The motion carried on a roll call; members recorded their support and the clerk moved the amendment forward for the Senate's further consideration.

The committee asked for a clean draft of the amendment incorporating the agreed edits (replacement of section 5, revised outreach language, clarified foster‑care eligibility language and alignment of rulemaking dates) and for Logan to circulate the updated bill text to committee members ahead of a reconvened meeting where members expect to finalize language and vote again on any remaining items.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved a motion to advance the strike‑all amendment to S.66. The motion was moved and seconded; a roll call recorded affirmative votes from several senators present and the amendment was approved to move out of committee. (Names recorded on the roll call in the transcript include Senator Wade, Senator Harrison, Senator Brennan and Senator Westman; the clerk completed the roll call and advanced the item.)

What happens next: Staff will prepare a clean draft reflecting the committee's edits, Logan will circulate updated fiscal details and the DMV will be asked to provide additional testimony about outreach, language access and the technical changes needed to the inspection manual and credentialing systems.