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'SAFE DRIVER RENEWAL'
TOPS RYAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
By SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE H. RYAN
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The General Assembly took care of the people's
business in record time this spring,- passing bills that
will reward good drivers, help make our roads safer,
fight drunk driving and boost library and literacy
funding.
All seven of our 1996 legislative initiatives were
passed and now await action by the Governor.
Heading up our agenda was a ground-breaking measure that allows safe motorists to renew their drivers licenses by mail or telephone.
"Safe Driver Renewal" - Senate Bill 1762 - lets
Illinoisans with clean driving records visit a drivers license facility in person just once every eight years. The
bill changes state law to extend the time between required vision tests from four to eight years. Currently,
less than half a percent of motorists fail the vision test.
This bill will provide a major new convenience to
1.1 million motorists annually, while providing all drivers an incentive to drive more carefully. It is expected
to reduce lines al facilities and save my office as much
as $400,000 annually. Other legislative action includes:
• House Bill 3629, requiring drivers who black
out at the wheel to be reported to the Secretary of
State's office.
I proposed the measure last December after learning about a motorist who passed out and injured 17
people when he crashed into a Palatine post office.
The driver had lost consciousness in four other crashes, none of which were reported to the Secretary of
State's office.
The bill would require police officers to notify this
office of any driver who blacks out at the wheel.
Additionally, motorists would have to alert the office
within 10 days after learning of any medical condition
that might impair their ability to drive.
• Senate Joint Resolution 88, creating the
Graduated Driver Licensing Task Force to develop
new standards for young drivers to get and keep an
Illinois drivers license.
The 18-member panel, which includes traffic safety experts, law enforcement groups, lawmakers and a
high school student, is charged with reporting its findings to the General Assembly by Jan. 1. The group's
recommendations will be used next year in Grafting
legislation to create a graduated licensing system in
Illinois.
Eight other states have graduated systems in which
new drivers do not obtain full driving privileges until
either age 18 or 21. Under those systems, young drivers may be subject to night-time driving restrictions,
safety belt requirements and limits on the age and
number of passengers.
Our goal is to further reduce the number of fata
July 1996 / Illinois. Municipal Review / Page15
ities among teen-age drivers, who account for only 6
percent of the driving population but are involved in
16 percent of fatal crashes.
• House Bill 2206, creating the "Educate &
Automate" program to further advance technology
in Illinois libraries, triple funding for Illinois family
literacy programs and enhance efficiency in my office by upgrading computers and automating additional services.
The $19.4 million measure would be funded
through increases in three business-related fees that
have not been raised in decades.
The largest portion, $13.8 million, would be raised
by increasing the fee for an individual driving record
from $2 to $5. Upping the charge for Uniform
Commercial Code filings from $6 to $20 would raise
$3.4 million, and boosting the corporate annual report filing fee from $15 to $25 would raise $2.2 million.
We created "Educate & Automate" to allow more
families to participate in joint community literacy efforts, to help libraries combat the effects of tax caps
and rising costs and to update an increasingly obsolete
mainframe computer in our office that is vital to public safety.
House Bill 3367, creating a "universal" charity
plate that helps any bona fide charitable group raise
money.
Charitable or fraternal organizations would sell
decals featuring their logos to motorists who buy the
new plate. The plate is scheduled for release in July
1997.
With this new plate, charitable organizations no
longer would need to lobby for new laws to create special plates.
• Senate Bill 1315, creating a "universal" veterans plate to honor all who served in any branch of
the military in any war, police action or armed conflict. Part of the $15 raised from each plate is to be spent on library materials for Illinois veterans homes.
The plate also would be available in July 1997.
• Senate Bill 1465, clearing the way for businesses, law firms and individuals to conduct business
with the Secretary of State's office by fax or other
electronic means, including the Internet. The bill
would let this office accept electronic signatures in
place of signatures written by hand.
The measure also will let the office initiate a new
era of service, where filings and other transactions can
be conducted over phone lines and computers.
• House Bill 3368, closing a loophole in the
state's mandatory auto insurance law by making it illegal for motorists to display a fake insurance verification card to a judge or court officer. Current law only prohibits displaying a fake card to a police officer.
• I also commend the General Assembly for passing House Bill 3613 that allows health-care workers
to report the condition of drunk drivers to police after the drivers receive emergency medical treatment
following a crash.
The bill would clear the way for a pilot project our
office is initiating that will develop procedures for
health care professionals to gather evidence after
crashes that may involve drunk driving or reckless
homicide.
Page 16 / Illinois Municipal Review / July 1996