To Repeal The Arkansas Alternative Motor Fuel Development Act; And To Repeal The Alternative Motor Fuel Development Fund.
Summary
SB267 repeals the Arkansas Alternative Motor Fuel Development Act in its entirety. The bill eliminates the statutory framework that authorized the Arkansas Energy Office, within the Division of Environmental Quality, to administer rebates for alternative fuel infrastructure and vehicle-related equipment. That framework covered private and public electric vehicle charging stations, compressed natural gas refueling stations, liquefied natural gas refueling stations, liquefied petroleum gas refueling stations, and certain alternative-fuel vehicle conversion or equipment costs.
The bill also repeals the Alternative Motor Fuel Development Fund, which had been the dedicated fund used to finance those rebates and incentives. As a result, the state would no longer have a specific fund or program under these statutes to support alternative motor fuel development, and the associated definitions, eligibility criteria, rebate caps, and siting/inspection requirements would be removed from Arkansas law.
Impact
SB267 removes Arkansas Code Title 15, Chapter 10, Subchapter 9, and repeals Arkansas Code § 19-5-1249. This changes state law by ending the legal authority for rebate programs tied to alternative fuel infrastructure and qualified alternative motor vehicle property, and by dissolving the dedicated fund that supported those incentives. The practical effect is to eliminate state-administered financial assistance for EV charging stations and natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas refueling stations, as well as related vehicle conversion/property rebates, unless another law or funding source separately authorizes similar assistance.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and no recorded opposition: the bill passed the Senate 32-0 on third reading and the House 88-0 on third reading. There were no committee transcript snippets provided, so the record available here suggests the repeal was broadly accepted and not controversial in floor votes. The unanimous votes indicate a generally favorable or at least non-contentious sentiment toward ending the program.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, and the recorded votes were unanimous. Because there are no committee transcripts, it is not possible to identify detailed arguments for or against repeal from the available record. The main policy issue implicit in the bill is whether Arkansas should continue subsidizing alternative fuel infrastructure and vehicle conversions; however, the vote history suggests that any disagreement on that question did not surface as visible opposition in the legislative process.
Relating to a reduction in the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district and additional state aid for certain school districts impacted by compression.