JEFFERSON CITY — A bill that would eliminate safety inspections for personal vehicles was passed by the House Government Efficiency Committee on Thursday.

The legislation combines seven bills proposed by various House members that sought to relax requirements on the types of vehicles that must be inspected. The new requirements would exempt all noncommercial vehicles, excluding rebuilt salvage vehicles.

Representatives sponsoring the bill and witnesses testifying in support said that eliminating safety inspections would save time for vehicle owners and allow technicians that perform inspections to be more profitable.

Rep. Mazzie Christensen, R-Bethany, the sponsor of one of the main bills combined into the new proposed legislation, said that rural districts have a shortage of mechanics licensed to perform inspections, forcing some constituents to drive up to an hour and a half to reach the closest inspector.

Rep. Jeff Farnan, R-Stanberry, another bill sponsor, said that across the four counties that he represents, there are only six licensed inspectors, making it difficult for vehicle owners to get appointments, creating a backlog.

“Sometimes the legislation that goes through here, for people who are out living their lives everyday, they don’t always see the direct connection,” Camellia Peterson, the legislative director for Americans for Prosperity-Missouri, said in her testimony in support of the bill. “This is something that affects them every day in their lives, costs them money and time.”

Sponsors also pointed to the losses suffered by automotive garages that perform inspections. In Missouri, the maximum fee that can be charged for a vehicle inspection is $12.

Rep. Dean Van Schoiack, R-Savannah, said these low fees make business owners unable to pay their mechanics and detract from time that could be spent doing more profitable work.

He referred to an email he had received from Lee Grant, a business owner who said that his garage had experienced a net labor loss of $193,000 from performing 1,091 inspections in 2025.

The primary concern raised by the bill’s opponents was that eliminating requirements for vehicle safety inspections would lead to higher rates of traffic accidents and fatalities.

“We’ve seen cars out there on the road that have bumpers falling off, they have cracked windshields, they might have a missing door,” said Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire. “Vehicle inspections are not only to keep that person that’s driving safe but to keep the entire public safe.”

Christensen said that vehicle technology has advanced and traffic fatalities have decreased significantly since the time when most of the laws requiring vehicle inspections were passed, making the laws redundant. Missouri’s first law requiring vehicle safety inspections was passed in 1967.

Currently, there are 14 states that do not require periodical safety inspections on personal vehicles.

Lt. Alex Vivas of the Missouri State Highway Patrol testified as an informational witness and pointed the committee towards a study posted on the Missouri State Highway Patrol website which shows that motor vehicle inspections reduce rates of fatality accidents.

The study, conducted independently by Carnegie Mellon University in 2022, found that states with vehicle safety inspection programs tend to have lower fatality rates than states without them and that inspection programs are effective at mitigating roadway fatalities.

There is no date set for when the bill will be presented on the House floor.