SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has publicly endorsed an omnibus tax and highway bill that calls for a rental car surcharge hike from $2 a day to $4 a day.

Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Manny Aragon (D-Albuquerque), Senate Bill 5 proposes a host of changes to the New Mexico tax system and would raise an estimated $74 million in 2005 for the state's road fund.

The bill also would raise registration fees for passenger vehicles. The fee for a vehicle that's been registered for five years or less, and that weighs less than 2,000 pounds, would rise from $20 to $27. Registration fees on vehicles registered for more than five years in this weight class would increase from $16 to $21.

Fees for vehicles five years old or less, weighing between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds, would rise from $29 to $39. Registration fees on vehicles in this weight category that are more than five years old would increase from $23 to $31.