Louisiana Inspection Sticker Ban Is Not Done Yet

SHREVEPORT, LA - A plan to get rid of inspection stickers in Louisiana hits a major hurdle. State Representative Larry Bagley of Logansport says he pulled his bill after State Police leaders raised questions about how this would impact their agency.

Bagley tells KEEL News State Police currently get $11 million dollars from inspection stickers and the Office of Motor Vehicles gets $3 million.

Right now all motor vehicles registered in Louisiana must have an inspection sticker. But Bagley's bill (HB344) would have scrapped the inspection sticker mandate in the state.

What Happened with the Bill?

During the House Appropriations Committee meeting, Bagley pulled his bill from consideration despite widespread support across the state. He made the move at the request of Louisiana State Police. Part of the money collected from the inspections goes to the State Police budget.

Click here and scroll to the 1:45 mark to watch the testimony.

Bagley tells KEEL News he still wants to find a way to get this done. He says one option would be to boost the cost on your car registration. He's not sure he has time to get it done during this session, but says he will continue to push for it.

Bagley says the change in the concealed carry law has taken money from State Police and they asked him not to take any more money. He says they were supposed to get money from the vape tax, but that is tied up in court right now and has not materialized yet.

Bagley says State Police do not oppose doing away with the stickers, but they don't want the change to impact their budget.

Is the Ban on Inspection Stickers Dead?

The DeSoto Parish lawmaker says the issue is not dead. He says he thinks there's a 40% chance it could be brought back up during this session, but more likely it will have to wait until next year.

He does say Louisiana is the only red state that still requires inspection stickers on vehicles. He says only 11 states still require and inspection sticker.