House Government Operations Committee Chair Brian BeGole recently led the passage of a bill that provides greater flexibility for local public safety efforts.

BeGole’s plan, House Bill 5234, allows for salvage vehicle inspection fees to be used for broader law enforcement purposes. Vehicles that have been damaged beyond repair and deemed to be a total loss by an insurance company go through a process that provides them with scrap or salvage titles. Prior to giving repaired salvage vehicles a new full title, local police agencies inspect them to make sure they are safe and road-worthy and charge a fee of $100 or less for that work.

The revenue from these fees is currently restricted to efforts that address auto theft. Instead of this rigid bureaucratic requirement, HB 5234 allows revenue from salvage vehicle inspection fees be used for public safety initiatives. This includes police equipment, training and road patrol services – areas where local departments can sometimes run into shortfalls.

“We shouldn’t restrict how departments can use these funds, especially when there is only so much funding available to a department each year,” BeGole said. “The funding from these provided services can go to other areas to help law enforcement protect our communities and neighborhoods.”

The plan advanced to the full House for consideration after its unanimous, bipartisan approval by the House Government Operations Committee.