BATON ROUGE — Louisiana lawmakers are moving to replace the state vehicle inspection sticker with a $6 QR code, and drivers in the capital region are raising questions about what happens to emissions testing.

The bill has the governor's support and is likely to pass. If it does, inspection stickers would disappear starting Jan. 1 of next year.

State Rep. Larry Bagley first tried to eliminate the inspection sticker nearly 10 years ago. Until this year, most lawmakers weren't interested, but with the governor now backing the effort, the bill appears headed for passage.

"There are other issues that get involved if this goes away," said Kenneth Peyton, who inspects cars for a living.

The five parishes surrounding Baton Rouge sit in a unique situation. East Baton Rouge, Livingston, West Baton Rouge, Ascension and Iberville parishes all require a separate emissions test on top of the standard inspection.

That test costs an extra $8 and is a federal requirement dating back 33 years. The Federal Clean Air Act added emissions standards, and state law then required parishes in the capital region to conduct emissions tests starting in 2000.

For every $8 emissions test, Peyton says he keeps $5, and the Department of Environmental Quality keeps the rest.

"It is our livelihood," Peyton said.

Peyton says he hasn't received any guidance about whether eliminating the inspection sticker also eliminates emissions checks. "That information has to be done," Peyton said.

Bagley, who lives near Shreveport, where emissions tests are not required, said he wasn't aware of the requirement until he put the bill together. "I didn't even know there was such a thing until I got this bill together," Bagley said.

He says it's possible another law would be passed to settle the issue of emissions testing. "I would think, or there will be a statement from the governor on what's going to happen," Bagley said.

WBRZ asked the Department of Environmental Quality whether emissions tests would still be required and whether a separate marker would be created to show a car had passed. As of the time of this report, no response had been received.