Illinois drivers will once again receive yearly reminders to renew their vehicle registration in the mail.
Secretary of State Jesse White stopped mailing the notices in October due to the state budget impasse. White’s office said Monday the stopgap spending agreement between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature provided enough money to again pick up the postage costs.
Still, White is looking for ways to defray the $450,000 monthly postage cost and will ask lawmakers to approve legislation that would allow him to sell advertising on mailed reminders. He’s also encouraging drivers to sign up for email reminders in order to avoid late fees, which skyrocketed after the office stopped mailing expiration notices.
Between January and March 2015, 111,200 late registration citations were levied for a total of $2.2 million in fines. For the same time period this year, there were 247,913 citations for a total of $5 million in fines.
More Top Picks Best Wireless Mouse
“The notices are an essential tool for the public to be sure their vehicles are in good standing and avoid paying late fees and fines resulting from tickets issued by law enforcement,” White said in a statement released Monday. “The driving public paid the price for the budget impasse, and it proved to be an unfair burden.”