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Del. Christopher Bouchat plans to introduce legislation in the 2026 General Assembly session to eliminate Maryland’s Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program, also known as VEIP, calling the decades-old policy “obsolete” and overly costly for taxpayers. Bouchat, a Republican representing Carroll County, told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that the state’s emissions testing system has outlived its usefulness. “It was a good program when it started, but since then, automobile manufacturers have incorporated and adjusted the manufacturing process in ways to reduce the emissions that were offensive to us and our climate,” Bouchat said. “What’s happening now is the state says, using it as a money source. There’s no need for this process to be in place.” VEIP requires most gas-powered vehicle owners to undergo emissions testing every two years to reduce air pollution, according to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). The program, managed by the MVA in partnership with the Maryland Department of the Environment, began in the 1980s as part of the state’s efforts to comply with the federal Clean Air Act. Bouchat argued that eliminating VEIP would save taxpayers money on both testing fees and the cost of maintaining the state’s 18 testing stations. He said the bill is still being drafted but that he intends to pre-file it before the start of the next session. “This will be my last session as a delegate,” Bouchat said. “I’m running for governor, and I want to go in as a reform-minded politician focused on reducing expenses.” The MVA did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for comment on Bouchat’s efforts or for an average revenue estimate from inspection fees by The Sun’s Tuesday deadline. A representative from the Maryland Department of the Environment declined to respond, adding that the department does not comment on pending litigation. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore could not immediately be reached for comment by the Tuesday deadline. In an email sent Monday to Maryland state Sen. Justin Ready, Bouchat asked the senator to cross-file the legislation in the Senate. Bouchat said Ready, a Republican representing Carroll and Frederick counties, has requested to review the bill. “We serve as a senator and delegate in the same district. We’ve been friends for 25 years. We are both Republicans. We think along the same lines — we’re basically cut from the same cloth,” Bouchat said of Ready. Ready confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that he plans to introduce Bouchat’s bill in the Senate in the next session. “VEIP at one time was aimed at air quality but has become just another fee assessed and arbitrarily raised to nickel and dime Marylanders,” he said. Recent VEIP Changes On July 1, the MVA was authorized to increase the emissions inspection fee from $14 to a maximum of $30 — part of a package of higher taxes and fees lawmakers approved this spring to help offset Maryland’s budget shortfall. Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said earlier this year the VEIP fee had not increased since 1997. The same budget measure also raised the threshold for vehicles eligible for historic tags, requiring them now to be model year 1999 or older, according to media reports. Previously, cars 20 years or older could qualify for the discounted registration, which exempts them from safety inspections and emissions testing. According to the MVA, the change impacted more than a third of Maryland’s nearly 200,000 historic vehicles. More than 255,000 vehicles were registered with historic plates between 2020 and 2025, and the change affected more than a third of those owners, according to MVA data obtained by The Sun. Ready previously strongly opposed the fee hikes and warned that higher registration costs in Maryland could push vehicle owners to register in neighboring states, like Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., where fees are lower. “The historic registration tag change and VEIP rate doubling are attempts to quietly, under the radar, grab more revenue for the Transportation Trust Fund which is also funded by the ever-growing gas tax and car taxes,” he told The Sun on Tuesday. Have a news tip? Contact Mennatalla Ibrahim at mibrahim@baltsun.com.
