WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers proposed bipartisan legislation that would require electric vehicles to pay a $130 annual fee for road repairs and $35 for some plug-in hybrid models.

The House is working on a five-year highway reauthorization bill ‌that would authorize $580 billion ahead of the current law’s expiration on Sept. 30. Most revenue for federally ⁠funded road repairs is collected through ​diesel and gasoline taxes, which EVs do ⁠not pay.

The law would require the fees to be hiked by $5 per year ‌starting in 2029, up ‌to a total of $150 for EVs and $50 for plug-in vehicles.

The U.S. House ⁠Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to ⁠take up the bill on Thursday, introduced by the panel’s Republican chair, Sam Graves, and the top Democrat, Rick Larsen.

Some states charge fees for EVs to cover road repair costs. For the past three decades, Congress has opted not to hike fuel taxes to pay for rising road repair costs. In February 2025, some Republican senators proposed a $1,000 tax on EVs to fund road repairs.

The Sierra Club, an environmental group, criticized the bill, saying it would cut funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and “includes an irresponsible tax for EV and plug-in hybrid drivers.”

The bill would also direct the U.S. Transportation Department within two years to issue regulations to establish performance-based safety standards for autonomous buses, trucks and other commercial vehicles. It would not apply ​to passenger cars and would pre-empt state laws.

The bill would require autonomous school buses carrying ‌young students to ‌have a human ⁠operator.

Last year, the Electrification Coalition, an EV advocacy group, argued that a $250 fee for EVs was unfair, since the average gas-powered vehicle pays just $88 in federal gas taxes each year.

Since 2008, more than $275 billion — including $118 billion from the 2021 infrastructure law — has been ‌shifted from the general fund ​to pay for road repairs.

Given the November congressional election, some lawmakers say it will be challenging to reach a deal on funding by Sept. 30.