House Republicans advanced a bill to repeal a controversial vehicle registration fee and challenged Gov. Doug Ducey to take ownership of the higher-than-advertised levy.

Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, who championed the fee a year ago, accused Ducey of “hijacking” his proposal to establish a flat public safety fee that’s charged when Arizonons renew their vehicle registration. Though lawmakers granted the director of the Department of Transportation the authority to set the fee, Campbell said the $32 levy announced by ADOT was nearly double what he expected while supporting the bill a year ago.

“No good deed goes unpunished. That’s what happened with this highway safety fee bill,” the Prescott Republican said during a House Transportation Committee hearing. “They had their way with it… and I really resented that.”

Campbell acknowledged that repealing the fee goes against his original intent, the desire to end a longstanding legislative practice of sweeping dollars meant for road maintenance in order to fund patrol efforts by the Department of Public Safety. But he’s supporting SB1001, a bill to fully repeal the fee, and his own proposal to cap the fee at $18, as a shot across the bow at Ducey.

“I want to shove this up to the governor’s office,” Campbell said, adding that Ducey veto those bills if the governor wants to own up to the fee.

“Let him look at some of the hard things that we have to look at, and let’s see where he goes on this,” Campbell said.

Ducey has already indicated he has no interest in repealing the fee, which helped free up dollars from the general fund a year ago and convince GOP lawmakers to approve a 2018 budget that included Ducey’s plan to give teachers a 20 percent raise over three years.

Lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats included, expressed reservation about repealing the fee for fear that it’d put highway maintenance dollars at risk of being swept again. Democrats cited the need to fund DPS while voting against SB1001.

Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, added language in the bill stating that, if necessary, funding for highway patrol should come from the general fund, and not be swept from dollars provided to local governments for road repairs.

But a lobbyist for county officials noted that lawmakers can always override legislative intent.

Representatives advanced the measure out of committee by a 4-3 vote. It still needs approval of the full House before it can be transferred to Ducey’s desk.

Even if the governor vetoes SB1001 or Campbell’s bill to cap the fee, HB2320, some Republicans are intent that won’t be the end of the fight.

Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, said lawmakers can always force the issue in budget negotiations with the governor’s office.

“If these bills die a fiery death, we need to go to Plan B,” he said.