Kansas Senate passes higher vehicle registration fees

A bill that would increase the cost of registering your car as way to pay for more Kansas Highway Patrol officers passed the Kansas Senate on Tuesday.

SB 335, which passed by a vote of 24-14, would increase the cost of registration by $3.25. That would bring the total cost of registering a vehicle with a gross weight of 4,500 pounds or less to $38.25.

The bill is part of an effort to hire more troopers for the Kansas Highway Patrol. As of November, more than a third of the state’s counties had no dedicated Highway Patrol officers. The bill directs $2 from vehicle registration fees to a Highway Patrol staffing and training fund.

Another $1.25 would fund the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, in an effort to replace declining revenue from district and municipal court docket fees.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Kansas Senate passes higher vehicle registration fees."