UPDATED (10:18 a.m.)—The cost of vehicle registrations would go up as part of a proposed gas tax bill being considered by the Maryland General Assembly.
The bill, which is scheduled for a final vote Friday in the House of Delegates, contains an increase of $3.50 on the cost of registering a vehicle. The additional money would be allocated to the Maryland Emergency Medical System Operations Fund. The fee increase would increase revenues by about $17 million annually.
The fees will go to offset an increase in salaries offered to pilots for the Maryland State Police. The agency has 11 vacancies within its 50 pilot positions, according to the review of the bill.
The base pilot salary under the proposal would increase to $70,000 and the plan would cover the cost of hiring 20 additional pilots based on a review provided by the state Department of Legislative Services. Maintenance technicians would see their base salary increase to $60,000 as part of the proposal.
Since July 2007, the agency has received 194 applications. Of those, 72 applicants declined interviews and another 11 declined job offers, citing low salaries.
A similar increase was cut from a budget bill last year.
Also included in the bill being voted on Friday are:
- $60 million over three years for the Sen. William H. Amoss Fire, Rescue, Ambulance fund.
- A $2 per hour salary increase for field instructors at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute
- More than $11 million over four years for a new communications system for the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services.
- A requirement that the governor spend nearly $400 million to comply with the Watershed Implementation Plan over five years.