Texas Governor Greg Abbott has officially signed the elimination of annual vehicle safety inspections into law, Jalopnik reports.
The law was passed by the Texas state legislature a week prior to Abbott’s signature being penned on Tuesday, according to reporting from KXAN. There was a shadow of doubt thrown on whether Abbott would go through with the bill, with law enforcement officials such as Travis County Constable Stacy Suits urging him to veto it.
Supporters of the bill have argued it will save Texas residents time and money, but criticism cites that with the $7.50 fee for inspections being replaced with an “inspection program replacement fee” of the same price, people may only save money by putting off repairs for things that they otherwise would have been required to maintain.
Though the bill has been signed, it won’t be put into effect until 2025. 17 counties in the state will still require annual emissions inspections, which include Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Montgomery, Galveston, Williamson, Travis, Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson, Parker and El Paso.
