SPRINGFIELD (Illinois News Network) — Hundreds of new laws go into effect Jan. 1, but the one that will save you time at the Secretary of State’s Office isn’t among them.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation in the fall that will allow vehicle registration to be paid for two years at a time. It won’t save vehicle owners money on the $101 annual cost. but it would save time. Drivers would pay $202 for the two-year registration. Trailer owners would be able to register for up to five years at once.
State Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorne Woods, said his father inspired the bill.
“He said ‘I don’t understand why we can’t just renew our license plates for more than one year at a time,’” McConchie said. “And I remember thinking ‘hey, what a great idea.’”
McConchie said 10 other states offer multi-year vehicle registration options.
There was pushback, McConchie said, from some state workers, but common-sense prevailed.
“The bureaucrats don’t necessarily like change but we did finally get it through,” he said.
The bill passed both House and Senate with unanimous support.
The law won’t take effect until 2021 in order to allow Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White the time to implement the change.
