Republican-led finance committee votes to raise EV fees 

According to the Associated Press, Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislative finance committee has voted to raise electric vehicle registration fees from $100 per year to $175 per year.

Registering an electric vehicle in Wisconsin is already more expensive than registering a gas vehicle or hybrid, which cost $85 and $75 per year, respectively.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated that the increased fees will bring in an additional $3.3 million to the state’s transportation fund over the next two years.

The GOP-backed spending plan for the Department of Transportation also includes a measure to increase funding for public transit by 2% and switch to drawing the money from the state’s general fund, which supports a range of programs including schools, local governments, and Medicaid. The transportation fund would continue to pay for expenses such as roads, airports, harbors and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The committee is expected to complete the budget by the end of June, at which point Democratic Gov. Tony Evers can amend it with partial vetoes or send it back to the Legislature for revisions.