By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD – Whether the state should do away with its vehicle inspections entirely or make it required every two years is now being hotly debated in the Senate where the second of two long public hearings on House Bill 649 continued Tuesday before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Stories of vehicle inspection sticker nightmares and “check engine lights” failing state inspections and thousands of dollars spent and lost work hours driving and what ending it means for air quality were among the issues discussed during the continued public hearing on the bill.

Sponsored by state Rep. Michael Granger, R-Milton Mills, the bill was filed to do away with inspection and was voted ought to pass in the House. 

He said last Tuesday that while the bill is the Senate’s to do with as it wishes, his goal – which he said is very popular – is to eliminate vehicle inspections entirely. 

He said he would oppose it becoming a study committee and would not be happy with making it a biannual mandate.

And he got powerful support last week from House leadership Deputy Speaker and State Rep. Steven Smith, R-Charlestown, who told the Senate committee that poor people who fail inspections just can’t go and buy another car.

“It’s time to end this. As chair of the Transportation Committee for four years previously I tried to get reforms to this system and failed. It’s a locked box. And there seems there is nothing we can do about it. Well, there is one thing we can do about it. You can get rid of it. So members of the committee as you inspect this program, I urge you don’t give it another sticker, take it off the road today,” Smith said.

The vote in the House was 212-143.

The Senate committee listened but did not immediately take action on the bill. A link to Tuesday’s videotaped public hearing is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w07QJ6pluxU 

Senators heard from a number of long-time car repair shop owners including those retired, those who want to do away with stickers and consumers some, of whom criticized speakers from the previous week arguing they had financial interests and those who called the system a “scam.” Others disagreed on the basis of safety and air quality. But the hearing was heavy on support for passage of some form of reform or elimination.

Jeremy Olson of Manchester, said he bought a former police cruiser that was un-inspectable because of changes made by law enforcement, yet it had a sticker when he bought it.

In the COVID-19 days another vehicle got a “legitimate failure” but due to supply chain issues it took eight weeks to get tires. When he went back the inspector says he has a 30-day policy saying he would have to recharge him for everything.

“That was my last straw with this program,” he said. He told Senators he knows people who have gotten rid of perfectly good cars because of the inspection program. 

Steve Zemanick Manchester, said he could rant for hours about NH’s inspection sticker program, which he said has “at least” become a complete “scam.” 

Some of the rules have nothing to do with safety or are too vague, he said.

He said the state failure rate at 13 percent are the only ones reported and are far higher.

But others had a different view.

Tim Austin, a Fitzwilliam auto shop owner, opposed the bill which would abolish inspections. 

He said people need to care about the state’s environment.

Retired Dover auto repairman David Dupont, said last Tuesday’s hearing was full of people who said there is significant fraud in the system. 

“Personally, I have not seen a lot of fraud,” he said adding vehicles are quite complex and a check engine light is often telling you the vehicle is polluting more.

“How is that good for New Hampshire?” he asked.

He said he also feels a loss of motorcycle inspections will lead to more deaths.

“Please listen to state agencies,” he said. 

Julie Smith recounted a check engine light in her vehicle forcing her to be asked for a $100 appointment to answer her question. She said she was saved by a friendly relationship she had with a shop that serviced her company’s cars.

“While happy to have been treated well by a particular shop, it still should not have been that way,” she said.

Neil Trindade, owner of Neil’s Laconia Garage, said the program is an “unjustifiable burden to the people of the state,” and supports passage of HB 649.

Aubrey Freedman of Bridgewater spoke in support of the bill calling inspections “a big expense for something that was not necessary.”

But Christopher Rice of Rochester who handles 7,800 towing calls for service a year, said it would mean less business for him. Still, he signed up as neutral on the bill.

He said he watched the hearing last week and what he heard is “it’s a conspiracy. It is not a conspiracy. It’s pure safety. We use a lot of salt on the road…it gets up into the cars…and eats components,” and inspections find problems before they end up with you broken down on the highway.

“You keep up on the maintenance of your car, you’re good to go,” he said.

Jeremy Simpson said it was the first time he testified on a bill.

“It is time to end this. There is no reason for it…We don’t have bad cars on the roads. We have a problem with bad roads.”

CORRECTION: A previous version said the House vote on HB 649 was on an amended version that would have changed it, but it was not an amended version.