Transportation committee recommends ITL on bill to regulate EV charging-station testing and fees

The Transportation Committee voted 12–4 to recommend inexpedient to legislate on Senate Bill 150, which proposed defining electric vehicle charging stations and authorizing annual fees to fund testing and oversight by the Division of Weights and Measures. The committee debate centered on consumer-protection needs, the cost of test equipment and staffing, and whether the proposed fee level and inspector model were workable.

Senator David Waters, the prime sponsor, told the committee he has been working on the measure since the senate hearing and proposed alternatives, including a low annual per-charger fee collected into a fund that would allow the commissioner to phase in inspections once sufficient resources accumulated. "Maybe take a somewhat different approach and to have a much reduced fee annually and then authorize the commissioner to establish a…