Senate committee airs bill to end emissions inspections for newer cars

Senate members made another attempt Tuesday to roll back the inspection requirements for some cars, this time with a bill to end emissions inspections for newer cars.

The Senate Rules Committee discussed a proposal to end the required emissions checks for cars from the three most recent model years, and for older cars with no more than 80,000 miles on the odometer. Safety inspections would not be affected.

"On the new cars you have very, very few emissions problems," said Sen. Harry Brown, a Jacksonville Republican.

The proposal, part of a recommended rewrite of a House-approved bill (H585), was amended to make 70,000 the odometer number.  The committee postponed voting on it after questions were raised about another section of the bill not related to inspections.

Efforts by Brown and other legislators to curtail inspection requirements have been defeated repeatedly in recent years, with committee votes that have prevented the issue from being discussed on the House and Senate floors.  In May, after legislators were lobbied heavily by garage owners who make money inspecting cars, a joint House-Senate transportation oversight committee killed a proposal to end safety and emissions inspections for newer cars.