Monitoring the Session

SB 1729

new cars get a 24-month first registration

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Borris MilesDSenate 13

Initial review · graded Oct 19, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

$16.75 for two years, $22.25 for three, instead of $7.50 a year.

The bill gives brand-new passenger cars and light trucks a first registration that lasts 24 months. Buyers pay a one-time inspection replacement fee of $16.75 for that two-year registration, or $22.25 for a three-year registration, instead of the $7.50 annual fee, and the money is split between the Texas mobility fund and the clean air account. It also repeals leftover inspection-fee sections, rewrites how the Clean Air Act fees are funded, and allows three-year emissions inspections for three-year registrations if the EPA approves, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: NO AUTOGRAPH. Became law without the governor's signature on May 24, 2025.CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author Borris Miles (D) in the Senate. Lead sponsor John McQueeney (R) in the House. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1729 · 2025-02-27

SOLD BY

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles.

WHAT IT DOES

$16.75 for two years, $22.25 for three, instead of $7.50 a year.

The bill gives brand-new passenger cars and light trucks a first registration that lasts 24 months. Buyers pay a one-time inspection replacement fee of $16.75 for that two-year registration, or $22.25 for a three-year registration, instead of the $7.50 annual fee, and the money is split between the Texas mobility fund and the clean air account. It also repeals leftover inspection-fee sections, rewrites how the Clean Air Act fees are funded, and allows three-year emissions inspections for three-year registrations if the EPA approves, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 25, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Transportation
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Vote taken in committee
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  10. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  11. Committee report printed and distributed
  12. Co-author authorized
  13. Placed on local & uncontested calendar
  14. Laid before the Senate
  15. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  16. Vote recorded in Journal
  17. Three day rule suspended
  18. Record vote
  19. Read 3rd time
  20. Passed
  21. Record vote
  22. Reported engrossed
  23. Received from the Senate
  24. Read first time
  25. Referred to Transportation
  26. Considered in formal meeting
  27. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  28. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  29. Committee report distributed
  30. Committee report sent to Calendars
  31. Laid out in lieu of companion HB 3528
  32. Read 2nd time
  33. Passed to 3rd reading
  34. Record vote RV#1966
  35. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  36. Read 3rd time
  37. Passed
  38. Record vote RV#2074
  39. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  40. House passage reported
  41. Reported enrolled
  42. Signed in the Senate
  43. Signed in the House
  44. Sent to the Governor
  45. Filed without the Governor's signature
  46. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

Beats not yet reviewed.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 116 yea · 0 nay

Senate · 30 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 10, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Apr 10, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Donors

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Sep 4, 2024 to Nov 30, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$15,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 25, 2024 to Nov 3, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990780, 101043817.

HillCo PAC$10,000.00

HillCo PAC

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 131 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 8, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 24, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101043817.

ActBlue Texas$8,833.00

ActBlue Texas

$8,833.00

Cash
$8,833.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$8,833.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 1, 2024 to Sep 4, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 1, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990780.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 25, 2024 to Nov 3, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990780, 101043817.

×

HillCo PAC

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 131 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 8, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 24, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101043817.

×

ActBlue Texas

$8,833.00

Cash
$8,833.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$8,833.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 1, 2024 to Sep 4, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 1, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990780.

Votes5

House May 10, 2025

Yea
116
Nay
0
Present, not voting
2
Absent
6
Excused
26
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2074

SB 1729 was passed by (Record 2074): 116 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 116 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 6 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 26 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 9, 2025

Yea
137
Nay
0
Present, not voting
3
Absent
3
Excused
7
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1966

SB 1729 was passed to third reading by (Record 1966): 137 Yeas, 0 Nays, 3 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 137 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 3 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 7 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Final passage

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records final passage. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 1729 (Miles) Relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Suspension of the three-day rule

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records suspension of the three-day rule. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 1729 (Miles) Relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Passage to engrossment

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records passage to engrossment. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

SB 1729 (Miles) Relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses4
For
3
Against
0
On
1
Names

For

  • Avis1 registration
  • EAN Holdings, LLC1 registration
  • Self1 registration

On

  • TxDMV1 registration
Sources

4 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 25, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 19, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Feb 27, 2025

05/24/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Sponsors

House committee · Transportation · Committee vote 12 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Transportation · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

HB 3528 by McQueeney (identical)

SB 1780 by Miles (duplicate)

Subjects

Environment--Air

Fees & Other Nontax Revenue--State

Vehicles & Traffic--Vehicle Registration

VEHICLE INSPECTIONS

COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, TEXAS COMMISSION ON

MOTOR VEHICLES, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF

PUBLIC SAFETY, DEPARTMENT OF

Text

The text as introduced · 958 words

89R8428 JXC-D

By: Miles
S.B. No. 1729

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 382.0622(a), Health and Safety Code, as

amended by Chapters 362 (S.B. 2102) and 851 (H.B. 3297), Acts of the

88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and amended

to read as follows:

(a) Clean Air Act fees consist of:

(1) fees collected by the commission under Sections

382.062, 382.0621, 382.202, and 382.302 and as otherwise provided

by law;

(2) each amount designated [ described ] by Section

548.510 [ Sections 548.510(d)(3) and (e)(3) ], Transportation Code ,

for deposit to the credit of the clean air account ; and

[ (3) $6 from the portion of each fee collected for an

inspection of a vehicle and remitted to the state under Section

548.5035, Transportation Code; and ]

(3) fees collected that are required under Section 185

of the federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Section 7511d).

SECTION 2. Section 382.202(d-2), Health and Safety Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(d-2) If approved by the United States Environmental

Protection Agency as part of the state's air quality state

implementation plan , [ provides for a three-year emissions

inspection period for a vehicle described by Section 548.1025(a),

Transportation Code:

[ (1) the system implemented by ] the Department of

Public Safety of the State of Texas shall provide under Subsection

(d) [ shall provide ] for a three-year emissions inspection period

for a vehicle registered under [ described by ] Section 502.0026

[ 548.1025(a) ], Transportation Code . The [ ; and

[ (2) the ] commission shall establish and assess fees

for an [ the ] emissions inspection conducted under this section [ of

a vehicle described by Section 548.1025(a), Transportation Code, ]

in amounts calculated to provide the same revenue that would be

provided if the vehicle was inspected annually or biennially.

SECTION 3. Section 502.0026(b), Transportation Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(b) Payment for all applicable fees, including any optional

fee imposed under Subchapter H and other registration fees and the

fee required by Section 548.510 [ 548.5035 ], for the entire

registration period is due at the time of registration.

SECTION 4. Section 502.044, Transportation Code, is amended

by adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsection (e) to read as

follows:

(a-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the department shall

designate a vehicle registration period of 24 consecutive months to

begin on the first day of a calendar month and end on the last day of

the 24th calendar month for a passenger car or light truck that:

(1) is sold in this state or purchased by a commercial

fleet buyer described by Section 501.0234(b)(4) for use in this

state;

(2) has not been previously registered in this or

another state; and

(3) on the date of sale is of the current or preceding

model year.

(e) The department shall use the date of sale of the vehicle

in designating the registration period [ year ] for a vehicle for

which registration is applied [ for ] under Section 501.0234.

SECTION 5. The heading to Section 548.510, Transportation

Code, as amended by Chapters 851 (H.B. 3297) and 999 (H.B. 198),

Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted

to read as follows:

Sec. 548.510. INSPECTION PROGRAM REPLACEMENT FEE.

SECTION 6. Section 548.510(a), Transportation Code, as

amended by Chapters 851 (H.B. 3297) and 999 (H.B. 198), Acts of the

88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and amended

to read as follows:

(a) In [ Except as provided by Subsections (b) and (c), in ]

addition to other fees imposed at the time of registration, at the

time of application for initial registration or renewal of

registration of a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole

trailer, or mobile home, the applicant shall pay an annual fee of

$7.50.

SECTION 7. Section 548.510, Transportation Code, is amended

by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e-1) to

read as follows:

(b) Instead of the fee provided by Subsection (a), an

applicant shall pay a one-time fee of $16.75 if the application is

for the initial registration of a passenger car or light truck under

Section 502.044(a-1) [ that:

[ (1) is sold in this state or purchased by a commercial

fleet buyer described by Section 501.0234(b)(4) for use in this

state;

[ (2) has not been previously registered in this or

another state; and

[ (3) on the date of sale is of the current model year

or preceding model year ].

[ (c) ] An applicant who pays a fee under this subsection

[ Subsection (b) ] for a registration year is not required to pay a

fee under Subsection (a) for the next registration year for the same

vehicle.

(c) Instead of the fee provided by Subsection (a) or (b), an

applicant shall pay a one-time fee of $22.25 if the application is

for the initial registration of a passenger car or light truck under

Section 502.0026. An applicant who pays a fee under this subsection

for a registration year is not required to pay a fee under

Subsection (a) for the next two registration years for the same

vehicle.

(e-1) Each fee paid under Subsection (c) shall be deposited

by the comptroller after receipt under Section 548.509 as follows:

(1) $16.25 to the credit of the Texas mobility fund;

and

(2) $6 to the credit of the clean air account.

SECTION 8. The following sections of the Transportation

Code are repealed:

(1) 548.051(a) and (c);

(2) 548.052;

(3) 548.054;

(4) 548.1025;

(5) 548.104(d);

(6) 548.501(a); and

(7) 548.5035.

SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.