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* Press release…

State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) passed legislation to help ease the stress and inconvenience of frequently going to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

“Nobody enjoys going to the DMV,” said Senator McConchie. “Offering an 8-year option in addition to the current 4-year option will save people time and the state money. It’s a win-win.”

SB275 will give drivers the option not to go to the DMV for as long as eight years to renew their license. Drivers can extend their license expiration date from four years with a fee of $30 (as current) to eight years with a fee of $60.

This legislation has passed the Senate without opposition and will now be moved to the House.

* The Question: What do you think of this and what other SoS changes would you like to see? Two-year license plate renewals? No front plates? Something else?

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 11:54 am

Comments

I get that I’m an old man yelling into the wind, but I wish we’d stuck with SoS instead of DMV. I like Illinois differentiators over homogenized.

As to the post- 8 year seems reasonable especially sinse the safe driver renewal doesn’t even involve going to the SoS.

Comment by jimbo Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 11:59 am
I support more frequent “automatic” license renewals for drivers without moving violations on their record, but eight years without needing to renew your license is an awful long time. Our fatal crash trends are stubbornly high (well over 1,000 fatal crashes annually since 2020), so we should be more vigilant with license renewals, not less.

Comment by StarLineChicago Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:02 pm
I want us to keep the front license plates as a identification law enforcement tool. The $750 fine for individuals covering their license plates with grey plastic or spray painting the first letter is not an adequate preventative measure.

Would also like to see the Blood Alcohol Content for DUI lowered to .05 from .08 as the NTSB recommended in 2009. Utah did this in 2017 and experienced a 44% reduction in alcohol related crashes and a 19% reduction in alcohol related crash deaths. After five years, Utah drivers are now enjoying reduced automobile insurance premiums.

Comment by Carol Taylor Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:05 pm
That’s pretty much how I do it now. At the 4-year mark I don’t have to go in person unless my eyeglass prescription has changed in the interim. So ho hum.

Comment by yinn Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:12 pm
As an old man, I’d rather see the removal — or at least easing — of the age-based two-year and one-year license renewals and mandatory driving tests. I would accept keeping those reductions for individuals who had recent minor traffic violations, not including injuries or property damage.

Comment by Curmudgeon Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:17 pm
I like the added convenience, but this is also effectively a backdoor fee increase.

You are cutting the amount of work that the DMV has to do to renew licenses in half, but charging drivers the same amount over an 8 year period.

How about we split the difference and discount it to $45, and just apply it to everyone?

As long as the suggestion box is open, a free, statewide library card for online books for every school child would be awesome. Lets take control away from local library boards over what kids can read altogether.

Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:18 pm
- You are cutting the amount of work that the DMV has to do to renew licenses in half, but charging drivers the same amount over an 8 year period. -

That in no way describes a fee increase. The cost to drivers is the same.

It’s an efficiency increase for SoS, but not a fee increase.

Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:35 pm
I assume this is different than the existing good-driver renewal which already didn’t require going into a facility to renew. The SoS would just send a sticker to place on your license the first time, and the second time they just sent me a new license with my same picture and a new exp date.

I seem to remember there was no fee for any of that either. The last time I needed to go into a facility was in 16, and my current one expires in 26.

I have a suspicion, although admittedly haven’t read the bill, this will all be rolled into the same thing now and there will suddenly be more fees for something which hadn’t had them previously.

So to answer the question - My suggestion would be to not do that.

As always, Time will tell.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:39 pm
Carol Taylor- Concur

Comment by Annon3 Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:40 pm
Personally, I kind-of like going to the DMV. Really good people watching. Appointments and online renewals and so on are much more convenient and I take advantage of them, but I do sort-of miss sitting in an SoS office on a Wednesday morning watching the parade of people while waiting my turn.

===Drivers can extend their license expiration date from four years with a fee of $30 (as current) to eight years with a fee of $60.===

This part doesn’t actually bother me; it’s how my cat’s rabies tags work. I don’t mind paying $39 for the 3-year shot license instead of $13 each year for the one-year shot license, because I still get to avoid taking her to the vet twice. The license fee is likewise mostly paying for record upkeep, not frontline staff time.

Comment by Suburban Mom Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:42 pm
I’d like:
- no front license plates
- large fines for obscured plates, especially the colored plate covers
- a better way to assure people are not driving without insurance (a systematic way preferred so no renewal of plates without proof of insurance … or some other better idea)
- no plates for anyone without an actual renewal sticker, and this includes state politicians and state agencies; these have been abused and too many not in the proper hands
- more frequent and stringent driving, hearing and eye tests after age 85

Comment by Lurker Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:45 pm
I went in for a pollution control test over 9 months ago on my 25 year old Jeep. It passed with nearly 275,000 miles on it. I then decided to purchase a new sticker at the facility. They gave me a sticker that read “TEMPORARY” and said the SOS would promptly mail new plates.

The new plates arrived 9 months later with a new sticker. Now I have to purchase a new sticker for the new plates. While waiting for the new plates, I was pulled over 4x by police questioning the strange little sticker on the old plates. Fortunately I kept all the paperwork in the glove compartment to show them.

I won’t even get started about no longer being a Notary Public in Illinois after 44 years. The renewal application has been pending for over 6 months. Now I see an SOS press release touting electronic notary seals. Try processing that backlog first.

Finally, I have a 2003 Elantra in Florida that also received a pollution control test notice. I filed for a deferment since it is out of state and in a county in Florida that does not require such a test. It initially cost me $600.00 to ship the car down there. That is going on four months now, and they have been supplied with water bills, property tax bills, and the correct form completely filled out. Am I supposed to pay $600.00 to ship the car back to Illinois to pass the test then pay another $600 to ship it back? Or do I cave in and register it to Florida and get Florida plates. I see an awful lot of vehicles on Illinois Highways with Florida plates on them these days. Maybe that is the solution to that problem.

Fewer press releases touting ease of use of such basic services from the SOS and more effort at processing the documents and licenses please. That Kiosk in Springfield solves neither of the above problems but it sure is cute looking.

I don’t need cute. I need action on three longstanding matters.

Comment by Louis G Atsaves Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:49 pm
Yes 8 years for driver’s license if no moving violations. That makes total sense and 2 years for plates. Why the running around every 4 or 1 year if not needed.

Comment by clec dcn Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 12:55 pm
Amazingly enough the bill does not refer to what must have been to first letters Alexi learned on Sesame Street, D, M, V, but keeps the “Secretary of State” language in the amended sections. If McConchie didn’t make that change, why refer to DMV in the press release? As to the question 2 year plate renewals would be good but maybe with a less than doubled cost. Also agree with lowering the BAC.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 1:00 pm
Looks like Sillyville time in Legisland. Did not know “DMV stress” was treatable. Or exis1ted. But a win is a win right Senator.

Comment by Annonin' Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 1:49 pm
Kiosks

But that would take away union jobs

Cannot have that.

Comment by old man poodle owner Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 1:52 pm
===Cannot have that.===

Been to the 2nd Floor of the Statehouse lately?

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 2:03 pm
Keep plates front and back. We need it for plate reading systems and to help bystanders identify specific cars in cases of crime or accidents.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 2:21 pm
Doing away with retired General Assembly license plates

Comment by Lamb Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 3:09 pm
With all the complaining about SoS facilities, let me just say that Illinois does it right. By having the DMV functions carried out by an elected official, we have a reasonably good system. Try going to a state where it is run by a sub-sub-division of the Dept of Transportation, and you’ll long for the customer service that used to be provided in the USSR.

Comment by Ben Tre Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 3:22 pm
@Excitable Boy:

What else do you call half the work for the same amount of money?

If there are cost savings, shouldn’t they be passed along to the taxpayers?

Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Apr 19, 24 @ 3:29 pm