State funds are shrinking, and you may be part of the problem

Houston-area State Senator John Whitmire is sponsoring legislation of the future.

This week, he teamed up with Sen. Don Huffines to introduce SB 1588, which would end annual vehicle inspections for Texans.

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In a release on the legislation, Huffines said the practice is rapidly becoming outdated:

“With significant technological advances in vehicle design and technology, this 66-year-old program is a relic of the past. State government is wasting Texans’ time & money on the annual chore of passenger inspections when 34 other states, including populous states like California, don’t require it of their drivers. Once you realize that these inspections aren’t about safety, it’s clear that they’re simply a tax on Texans’ time and money.”

Texas is currently just one of 16 states with an inspection law, but some of its fellow laboratories of democracy — where policies are first tested, tried, and fail — have done just fine after repealing their respective inspection laws.

In fact, Nebraska saw a 16 percent decrease in defect-related crashes following the repeal of their inspection law.

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While repealing annual inspection requirements in Texas may result in a $150 million loss for state revenue, Huffines described the loss differently – as a tax cut for citizens.

SB 1588 is currently pending.