Senate committee advances bill raising electric-vehicle registration fees, diverts one-third to local highway fund

TOPEKA — The Senate Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to pass House Bill 2121 as amended, a measure that raises annual registration fees for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and redirects a portion of those fees to local road funding.

The bill, as presented to the committee, would increase fees for plug-in hybrid vehicles and all-electric vehicles and would change how those fees are distributed. Under current law, electric and hybrid vehicle registration fees go in full to the state highway fund; HB 2121 would allocate two-thirds to the state highway fund and one-third to the special city and county highway fund, distributing that one-third according to existing law for motor-fuel taxes.

“House Bill 2,121 would increase the license fees of electric and electric hybrid passenger vehicles, trucks, and also electric motorcycles,” the bill presenter said. The presenter described the proposed new fee schedule and the distribution…