JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A bill that would restrict the sale of electric vehicles (EV) in Mississippi is on its way to Gov. Tate Reeves’ (R-Miss.) desk.

House Bill 401 passed through the Senate on Thursday. Some lawmakers said the bill could hurt Mississippi’s economy.

If signed into law, EV manufacturers would have to sell their vehicles through a franchise dealership, rather than their manufacturer-owned dealer.

State Senator Jeremy England (R-District 51) believes the bill is a bad policy and could put Mississippi behind in the sale of electric vehicles.

“We’re telling the electric vehicles to use a different sales model, that their sales model is not acceptable in Mississippi. How that hurts consumers is, number one, these electric vehicles, if you have to go to a middleman and go to a dealership, you can already count on a 5% increase in cost tacked on just for the middleman on that. By shutting down their sales model to get these electric vehicles to the consumers here in Mississippi, I believe we’re sending the wrong message. I think we’re telling them we’re going to do things the old way here in Mississippi. Good luck in the other states. They’re going to start selling their vehicles there and we’re going to miss out on it,” said England.

Proponents said the law would ensure that all car manufacturers, regardless of their business model, play by the same rules.

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 38-14.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.