Rogers / Senator Bohmaker

S.S.___

A BILL
To create and charge a fee on all electric vehicles registrations.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) Electric vehicles do not refuel at pumps that collect state and federal fuel taxes, therefore they do not
contribute to the upkeep of highways.
2) Gas taxes are one of the main sources of funding for bridges and roads, however, people are driving
more fuel-efficient cars, and many states tax rates havent kept up with inflation during the past decade.
3) Nationwide, gas tax revenue declined every year from $40.7 billion in 2004 to $37.9 billion in 2010.
4) The Highway Trust Fund has lost a third of its purchasing power over the past 18 years due to not
adjusting to inflation.
5) The Gas tax, in inflation adjusted terms, is worth only 11.5 cents today when it should be 18.4 cents.
6) Nine states are already charging between $50 and $300 on top of normal registration renewal fees, or in
some cases, a separate annual fee.
7) By the year 2020 there will be an estimated one-million electric cars on the road in America, this number
does not take into account the high number of hybrid cars that will also be on the road.
8) Electric cars have the same impact as a regular gasoline-powered car, yet provide little or no money for
highway maintenance.
9) Less fuel is being used resulting in lower gas tax collection even though the mileage traveled remains
relatively unchanged.
10) All-electric and plug-in hybrid cars purchased in or after 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax
credit that gasoline cars do not receive.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 shall hereby create and charge a fee on all yearly electric vehicles
registrations. This fee will include, but not be limited to strictly electric vehicles. Hybrid vehicles are
defined as a vehicle with a gasoline engine and an electric motor, each of which can propel
it.Accordingly, hybrid vehicles will also be required to pay a fee on their vehicle registrations. This fee
will fluctuate depending on the type of motor vehicle and whether it is a hybrid or completely electric; and
is subject to be increased or decreased when necessary. The fee will hereby be an annual payment
automatically added to ones registration payment.The revenue collected from this registration fee shall be
directly added to the Highway Trust Fund.
B) The Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 shall be enforced and upheld by the Department of Motor Vehicles
(DMV). The initial funding needed to create a committee dedicated to creating this fee and the funding
needed to launch the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 will be alloted from the 6.5 billion dollar revenue the
Department of Motor Vehicles intakes each year.
C) Failure to pay the annual fee on time will result in a substantial increase of twenty-five dollars for every
month passed the expected due date. Failure to pay the annual fee consecutively will result in a fine and/or
be sent to trial. Participants who consecutively pay the fee on time for more than three years will receive a
decreased fee. This charge will be less than what the average person pays per year for the Gas Tax. The
Electric Vehicle Fee of 2017 shall be enacted on March 1, 2017. There is no expiration date for this bill.

Press Release
By the year 2020 if an adequate solution to raise the Highway Trust Fund revenue is not conceived upwards of, 877,000
people will lose their jobs. The Highway Trust Fund was created in 1956 to build and maintain a nationwide transportation
network. The major source of revenue for this fund is the Gas Tax. The problem with this is that the Gas Tax has not kept up with
inflation rates, and electric vehicles do not have to pay the tax. Due to these circumstances, the Highway Trust Fund is running
alarmingly low on income. The infrastructure of this nation depends tremendously upon the Highway Trust Fund and is in desperate
need of a solution to its lack of financial stability. For all of these reasons, the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 should become a law
because it will raise more revenue for the Highway Trust Fund, it will eliminate unfair advantages given to electric vehicle owners
and it will create more jobs.
By enacting the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017, the income of the Highway Trust Fund will increase dramatically. The
Highway Trust Fund is a resource for our public roads, highways, bridges, tunnels and public transit. Unfortunately the Highway
Trust Fund has, lost a third of its purchasing power over the past 18 years. This loss in money directly corresponds to the Gas
Tax, which has also dropped in value due to inflation. The Gas Tax, is worth only 11.5 cents today when it should be 18.4 cents.
The Gas Tax has not kept up with inflation rates, if it had then it would be worth 30 cents, but since it has not it has dropped in
value and has caused major setbacks for the Highway Trust Fund. Congress has declined numerous times to raise the Gas Tax and
this is why another solution must be conceived. One solution that would begin to fix the issue is to charge a fee on all electric
vehicle registrations. Electric vehicles do not have to pay the Gas Tax and therefore do not contribute to the Highway Trust Fund.
By charging an annual fee on these registrations the annual income of the fund would increase greatly. By the year 2020, there will
be an estimated one-million electric cars on the road, not including hybrids, the increasing amount of electric vehicles means that
less fuel is used resulting in lower gas tax collection even though the mileage traveled remains relatively constant.. In order to
balance out the amount of fuel being used and the revenue of the gas tax, a fee on electric cars must be created. Creating a charge on
electric vehicle registrations will not only help to add funds back into the Highway Trust Fund, but it will also ensure that the
highways are constantly being fixed, it will ensure the safety of bridges and overall will help to make the countrys infrastructure
more modern.
Moving on, electric vehicle drivers are given many advantages not given to people who drive gas-fueled cars. The main
advantage is the fact the electric vehicle owners do not have to pay the Gas Tax. On average americans who own gas-powered cars
spend, $329 each year in gasoline taxes.. In 2020 with over a million people driving electric cars, around 329,000,000 dollars will
not be inputted into the Highway Trust Funds revenue because they do not have to pay this tax. Not only do they get emitted from
the Gas Tax but, all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars purchased in or after 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up
to $7,500. Gas fueled vehicles do not receive any income tax credit, yet still have to pay the Gas Tax in order to maintain a healthy
and safe transportation network. Of course the government does this to promote green living, but recent studies have shown that,
electric cars have the same impact on the environment as a regular gasoline-powered car, yet provide little or no money for
highway maintenance. Electric vehicles are indeed better for saving natural resources, but this factor alone is not a just enough
reason to allow them to not contribute at all. With that being said, electric vehicle owners should not be given so many additional
assets, that is why charging a fee on their registrations will not only make things more impartial but will also allow the government
to begin fixing the Highway Trust Funds deficit.
By creating this new charge on all electric car registrations the Highway Trust Fund will have an adequate amount of
money and will provide jobs to numerous americans. The jobs that will be created from this new fee include, the committee who
will be dedicated to creating and executing the charge, and the hundreds of new jobs that will be needed in local department of
motor vehicles facilities. Currently, 7.9 million americans or five percent of the population is unemployed. In order to try and
decrease the number of unemployed americans, more jobs need to be created. These new jobs will not only decrease the
unemployment rate, but will also create a healthier economy. Looking outside of the DMV and the government, by enacting this bill
the Highway Trust Funds income will rise greatly, meaning it will be able to complete more constructions and repairs. This will
lead to an enormous amount of job openings in the construction world. These workers on average will earn a median salary of
$31,090, and because of this not only will the employment rate decrease, but it will also boosts thousands of americans into the
middle class. A strong middle class is the key to a successful economy, therefore the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 should be
enacted because it will create more jobs, and the effect of this will be a stronger economy.
All in all, it is vital for our nation to make the Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 a law, because it will raise the income of the
Highway Trust Fund, it will create a more equal platform between electric car drivers and gas-powered car drivers, and lastly, it will
decrease the unemployment rate. This bill will not only provide the Highway Trust Fund with the money it needs to function
properly, but it will ensure that Americas infrastructure continues to grow stronger, safer, and healthier each day. As of right now,
one-third of the nation's roads may be in poor or mediocre condition while a quarter of its bridges are in need of repair.. A solution
to this increasingly alarming issue must be found soon or Americas infrastructure will pay the ultimate price, the passage of the
Electric Vehicle Act of 2017 will not only fix the deficit, it will create a new era for our nations infrastructure as a whole.