{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=AA8632D3-27EA-40A0-8C8E-B8CF4C22D0C9", "End EV Freeloading", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Deb Fischer", "F000463", "www.fischer.senate.gov", "fischer", "https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "\u201cIf anyone should be paying into federal road repair, it should be EV users.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, spoke on the Senate floor this week about the need to end electric vehicle (EV) freeloading and secure continued funding for America\u2019s infrastructure.\n\nIn her remarks, Senator Fischer noted that the Highway Trust Fund, which maintains U.S.infrastructure, will run out of money in the next few years. The current funding structure does not consider EVs and only generates revenue from gas-powered vehicles. This places an unnecessary burden on gas-powered vehicles and limits the funding available to modernize and upgrade U.S. infrastructure.\n\nSenator Fischer\u2019s Stop EV Freeloading Act would help address the fund\u2019s impending insolvency by requiring EVs to contribute to the Highway Trust Fund, leveling the playing field for all drivers. Senator Fischer\u2019s weekly column on the legislation can be found here.\n\nClick the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer\u2019s remarks\n\nClick here to download audio\n\nClick here to download video\n\nFollowing is a transcript of Senator Fischer\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery:\n\nAs Americans in 2023, there\u2019s plenty we disagree on. But last week, USA Today released a new study on something we can all agree to hate.\n\nPotholes.\n\nThe study ranked all 50 states based on how many potholes cover their roads. It also included that the average car repair after a tussle with a pothole costs over $400.\n\nThat\u2019s a lot of money for Americans to pay unexpectedly after a road incident.\n\nAnd unfortunately, our pothole problem is about to get much worse.\n\nFor the past 67 years, the Highway Trust Fund has largely funded road maintenance across our nation. The Fund repairs wear and tear from vehicles on the highway.\n\nThat\u2019s critical for our roads, for our infrastructure, and for our transportation.\n\nBut the Highway Trust Fund is running on empty. It\u2019s projected to run out of money in the next few years.\n\nThe insolvency of the Fund would necessitate a total restructuring of our highway repair system. And it would throw our national infrastructure under the bus.\n\nSo how do we prevent this from happening?\n\nThe main source of revenue for the fund is the federal gas tax, a user fee. The money drivers pay in taxes when they fill up with gas automatically goes toward road construction. But as a smaller percentage of vehicles fill up with gas, a smaller amount of money goes to the Highway Trust Fund.\n\nThe use of electric vehicles, or EVs, has shot up in the past several years. Of course, EVs don\u2019t use gas. Since they don\u2019t fill up with gas, they don\u2019t pay the gas tax \u2014 and they don\u2019t pay into the Highway Trust Fund.\n\nAs more EVs have been adopted, the fund has become more unstable. It\u2019s not receiving the same revenue as it used to. According to Deloitte, U.S. adoption of EVs will increase to 30 percent of new car sales by 2030. So that\u2019s 30 percent of new car drivers not paying into the fund.\n\nBut if anyone should be paying into federal road repair, it should be EV users.\n\nEVs can be up to three times heavier than gas-powered cars due to their large batteries. This significant weight puts extra stress onto our roads \u2014 it pulverizes the road bed, causing more maintenance, more upgrades, and more costs.\n\nThe Highway Trust Fund exists to fix exactly the type of damage that these heavy EVs can cause \u2014 so it\u2019s only fair that all highway users, both gas-powered and electric vehicles, pay into the fund.\n\nMy recent bill, the Stop EV Freeloading Act, would fix this discrepancy. This new legislation would require EVs to contribute to the Highway Trust Fund through a two-tier fee structure.\n\nThe first tier corresponds to the federal gas tax. Under my bill, buyers would pay a one-time $1,000 fee on EVs at the point of sale. That money would contribute to the Highway Trust Fund.\n\nThis $1,000 fee equals the average amount consumers currently contribute to the fund from gas taxes over 10 years. Ten years is the average lifespan of an EV battery. The fee would tax EVs the same amount once that gas-powered cars pay over the lifespan of an EV battery.\n\nThe second tier corresponds to the heavy vehicle use tax, which also contributes to the Highway Trust Fund.\n\nUnder my legislation, manufactures would pay a one-time fee of $550 on each EV battery module with a weight greater than 1,000 pounds. The average EV battery weight is a little less than 1,000 pounds, so taxing those heavier than average would ensure that the Highway Trust Fund has enough money to cover any damage these vehicles inflict on highways.\n\nThe $550 tax is comparable to the fees imposed on heavy trucks because of the additional stress they cause to roads and bridges.\n\nThe current structure of the Highway Trust Fund doesn\u2019t account for the damage EVs can and do cause to our roads \u2014 and it\u2019s only fair that EVs and gas-powered vehicles pay the same fees.\n\nBoth types of vehicles should contribute to the fund for vital repairs and maintenance. And ultimately, the changes included in the Stop EV Freeloading Act would help the fund escape its impending insolvency.\n\nRight now, the Highway Trust Fund is losing to the EV industry. That means our roads are going to lose to heavy electric vehicles. And when our infrastructure starts deteriorating, the American people pay the price.\n\nMy bill will stop that from happening. Let\u2019s put gas-powered vehicles and electric vehicles on a level playing field \u2014 that\u2019s the only way we all win.\n\nThank you, M. President, I yield the floor.", 1, "2026-04-07T15:46:19Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=AA8632D3-27EA-40A0-8C8E-B8CF4C22D0C9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6606689896434546, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}