The Virginia House of Delegates voted nearly unanimously Tuesday to abolish an unpopular set of “abuser fees” on bad drivers, but set up a clash with the Kaine administration by pairing the measure with a change to a separate car tax. With no debate, the House quickly voted 95-2 to send the bill, introduced by Del. Clarke Hogan, R-South Boston, to the state Senate. The decision signals that longtime Republican supporters of the fees, including Speaker Bill Howell and Del. David Albo, have abandoned trying to keep them afloat in the face of overwhelming opposition.
The abuser fees were enacted last year in a statewide transportation funding package to raise $65 million for road maintenance, but drew public anger after revelations that they added potentially thousands of dollars to the price of some traffic offenses and applied only to in-state drivers.
Hogan’s bill also takes a 1 percent auto registration fee — another part of last year’s funding package — out of the hands of auto dealers and moves their collection to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The change is strongly opposed by Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat.
“The governor is very much in favor of repealing the abusive-driver fees as quickly as possible,” said Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey. “But this amendment would remove an option that consumers now have, to pay the 1 percent sales and finance it with the purchase of the car.”
After unsuccessfully seeking to replace the abuser fees Monday with a set of increased penalties on all drivers who commit serious offenses, including out-of-state motorists, Albo voted to scrap the set of fines he helped design.
“Because my efforts to fix the abuser fee bill by including out-of-state drivers have been defeated, to live up to my promise to my constituents, I must vote to repeal,” said Albo, R-Springfield. “But mark my words, expect a tax increase coming from the Senate to make up the money lost by the repeal.”
House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, cast one of the two votes against Hogan’s bill. He said he wants to “keep his foot in the door” on the possibility of increasing fines on drunken drivers and traffic offenses that result in deaths.
“I think they should have to pay and I think there are others who agree,” he said.
The bill that passed the House Tuesday has two key elements:
» Repealing the abuser fees on bad and dangerous drivers that were once hoped to collect $65 million for a growing gap in road maintenance funding.
» Changing who collects a 1 percent fee on car registrations. Auto dealers now collect the fee, which applies only to cars garaged in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Under the bill, the Department of Motor Vehicles would collect it.
