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House Approves BMV Overhaul Bill That Would Cap Fee Markups

Joel Kramer
/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75001512@N00/2728233597

Two million Hoosiers would pay less at the license branch under a bill unanimously approved by the House.

The 431-page bill is the result of a two-year review begun after a class-action suit pulled back the curtain on millions of dollars in overcharges and undercharges.

Rep. Dan Forestal (D-Indianapolis) says the mammoth bill is a triumph of bipartisanship.

“At the end of last session, things got just a little chippy but it is a good thing when two people, who are passionate about an issue or good government, have a disagreement and then are able to come together and overhaul an entire agency,” Forestal says.

The bill reconciles conflicting laws on some fees and simplifies others -- the current schedule of 191 different fees would be slashed to 23.

House Roads and Transportation Chairman Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) says even though the streamlining bill reduces fees, it’s still revenue neutral.

“The one place we did increase the fees, and our feeling was in a lot of areas when we compressed we wound up [and] everybody pays the same or less, except the folks who can’t seem to get things done on time,” Soliday says.

The bill would cap the markup over regular Bureau of Motor Vehicles fees at 50-percent.

The Senate will take up the bill sometime next month.

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