House lawmakers want to give hybrid car owners an added break from sitting in line at the emissions inspection station.
“We felt there should be some incentive, and we?ve had other bills on this that came through our committee,” said Del. Maggie McIntosh, D-Baltimore City, who is chairwoman of the committee that approved the bill.
The House of Delegates adopted an amendment to the clean cars bill to extend the emissions exemption for hybrid cars by three years and exempt zero emissions cars from state inspections.
Earlier in the debate, Democrats rejected an amendment proposed by Del. Wade Kach, R-Baltimore County, that would have given tax credits for the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles.
McIntosh said other bills have been proposed to do the same thing. The clean cars bill should receive a final House vote next week.
In the Senate,the Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 9-2 to approve a bill that was substantially the same as the one approved by the House Environmental Matters Committee last week.
Senators are expected to begin debate on the bill as early as Tuesday.
The clean cars bill, which has failed in previous years, brings Maryland?s emissions standards in line with California?s tougher standards designed to reduce air pollution.
The Maryland bill, however, prohibits the sale of reformulated gasoline that is mandatory in California, and gives the General Assembly?s regulatory arm and the legislature itself the authority to reject any changes to the California law that could be harmful to Maryland.
If the proposal is approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Martin O?Malley, all new cars sold in Maryland would have to comply with the new emissions standards by 2011.
The House amendment was approved Friday.
