BATON ROUGE – Louisiana lawmakers took the first step toward eliminating the state’s vehicle inspection sticker program during a House Transportation Committee meeting Monday.

The bill filed by Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, to replace the sticker with a QR code unanimously advanced from the committee. Bagley has been working to eliminate inspection stickers since 2017, having failed to pass the bill seven times previously.

More support for the bill was shown this time around, including approval from Gov. Jeff Landry.

“The traditional vehicle inspection sticker process is annoying, it’s inconvenient, it serves little value to the safety of our roads,” Landry said in a speech he delivered on the first day of the legislative session.

The Transportation Committee also advanced a bill to rename a portion of Louisiana Highway 15 in Monroe, between South Second Street and U.S. 165, as the President Barack Obama Road. Rep. Patricia Moore, D-Monroe, said the bill would have her constituents “dancing in the streets” in celebration like they did when Obama was first elected in 2008.

The bill follows a separate bill that received House approval that would name a new Mississippi River bridge the President Donald J. Trump Expressway. The bill was filed by Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, one of the candidates for the 5th Congressional District House race. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser expressed his disagreement with naming the bridge for Trump during an interview on “Talk Louisiana” with Jim Engster.

“Usually, after you’re out of office, people name things after you because of the good you did,” Nungesser said. “But I don’t think it’s right that we’re changing the Kennedy name to the Trump-Kennedy Center or the bridge in Baton Rouge.”

During the debate on eliminating the brake tag, some committee members raised concerns regarding the execution of the QR code program, specifically with the time it would take for officers to locate the necessary information about a driver.

“Everybody is not going to sit and wait, as they should, on law enforcement to get it figured out,” said Rep. Joy Walters, D-Caddo, in reference to the QR codes potentially lengthening the time it takes for law enforcement to find a driver’s information. “That’s really the only problem I have with this bill in its current form, and I know that you all are going to be working to hash things out. I have faith in that and no doubt.”

Louisiana’s inspection program was created decades ago when vehicles did not have the advanced safety systems and diagnostic technology that modern vehicles have today. Now, vehicles are able to monitor their engine performance, emissions systems and other functions, alerting drivers with warning lights when issues arise so that they can be addressed promptly.

The QR code would cost $6 a year versus the $10 a year for a new inspection sticker. Vehicle owners would no longer have to go through the inspection sticker process but instead would receive a QR code in the mail when obtaining their license plates and registration renewals.