MACo Policy Associate Drew Jabin testified on March 4, 2020 to oppose HB 1451 – School Bus Purchasing – Zero-Emission Vehicle – Requirement. This bill would place a costly mandate on school systems and county governments to carry out new state policy to purchase zero-emission vehicles in upcoming years. 

From the MACo Testimony:

The Fiscal Note prepared by the Department of Fiscal Services
recognizes direct costs of purchasing these vehicles, citing zero-emission vehicle cost of $340,000 per zero-emission vehicle. Another concern is the capital costs of installing school vehicle charging stations. Lastly, a less clear but still significant concern is the necessity of implementing additional
school bus routes, resulting in potentially millions spent on personnel and operating costs. Current bus routes in some counties would not be able to accommodate electric school buses as the current route is too long.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2020 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.