While we agree with your Nov. 4 editorial’s call to quickly replace Illinois’ “woebegone (license) plates . . . for the first time since 1984,” we believe this can be accomplished without raising the gas tax and hiking drivers’ annual $48 registration fees by 35 percent, as suggested by your editorial and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Our legislation (House Bill 968) provides new plates without increasing fees and, over the next five years, adds $46 million to the state’s road fund. The replating provided by our bill will recover $16 million to $30 million annually lost to the road fund due to sticker purchase avoidance. Illinois loses $48 every time a license plate sticker is not purchased.
In addition, the law enforcement and public safety need for new pairs of legible, fully reflective plates is urgent, obvious and uncontested. The Illinois law enforcement community, as well as such groups as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Crime Stoppers and the National Safety Council, rightfully recognize that it will be 15 years since we last replated. Seventy percent of all major crimes in this state involve the use of a motor vehicle, and legibility of issued plate numbers is the most rapid (and often, only) identification of vehicle and owner.
The spending plan for replating is already in place. The General Assembly and Gov. Jim Edgar have already approved $9 million to start the replating program. Our legislation allows replating to begin. Since Illinois’ last replating in 1984, Illinois drivers have, through license plates fees, poured more than $5 billion into the road fund. Surely drivers paying more than $5 billion deserve new plates for the first time in 15 years.
