Legislators across the country have been busy creating and filing legislation impacting our hobby. The House has a bill that would help prevent Ethanol misfueling. More states are considering bills that would allow military surplus vehicles to be titled.

H.R. 5855-Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2018

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Rep. Scott Austin of Georgia introduced House Resolution 5855 into the House of Representatives on May 16. It was immediately referred to the House Energy & Commerce Committee for consideration. The bill would require that pumps dispensing E15 Ethanol, or Ethanol and/or unleaded gasoline depending on the consumer’s choice, be labeled with warnings to consumers as to the pump’s specific use.

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Boats, pre-2001 cars, snowmobiles, chainsaws and other small engines can’t use E15 Ethanol. The bill would require that stickers with representations of “prohibited” vehicles, equipment and engines be prominently displayed on pumps that dispense and/or might dispense E15, such as blender pumps. The EPA would also be tasked with coming up with a public education/awareness program in regards to what can and can’t use Ethanol and why.

Military Surplus Vehicle Legislation Update

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Louisiana’s S.B 549 has passed both chambers of the legislature and been sent to the governor on May 18 for his signature. The bill would allow military surplus vehicles, such as the HMMWV (“HumVee”), to be registered and driven as any other vehicle. It would also create a special plate specifically for these vehicles.

A bill was recently introduced in Michigan’s Senate that would also allow “military or tactical” vehicles to be titled and licensed. S.B 1040 would include these vehicles by amending the definition for legal purposes of “historic vehicle” to include them. The bill was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.

Hawaii Bills All Die as Year Ends for Legislature

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The last day of May marked the end of the year for Hawaii’s legislature. S.C.R 20, which would have paved the way for a race track on Oahu, passed the Senate but died in the House Committee on Education. Also dead on the block is S.B 2849, Hawaii’s surplus vehicle bill, which had also passed the Senate but died in the House.

H.B. 1758, a bill that would have required vehicles up to six years old to have a “motor vehicle inspection safety check” every two years and doubled the current cost of the inspection also died in committee. Finally, H.B 2069, which would have allowed vehicles to have exhaust systems that produce up to 95 decibels, died in the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection.