Committee delays mileage-based user fee, weighs interim EV infrastructure funding and special fund

Members of the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday reviewed draft updates that move the effective dates for a mileage-based user fee and clarified related electric vehicle (EV) registration and infrastructure fees after federal grant and implementation delays.

Damian Leonard of the Office of Legislative Council told the committee the changes in the draft are minimal: "the bare minimum" to move implementation dates out by a year because the federal grant and program readiness have not arrived. He said the draft retains references to the Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) grant the state is pursuing but postpones statutory dates tied to July 1, 2025, to a later date.

What the committee discussed - Implementation delay and grants: Agency staff and committee members said the federal grant the state expected to use for nonfederal match has not been executed as anticipated. The draft keeps the option to accept federal grants and uses the existing language for a $350,000 nonfederal match…