Quinn OKs $2 license fee for Illinois state parks

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois vehicle owners will pay $2 more for license plates next year after Gov. Pat Quinn approved a surcharge to help repair and maintain state parks.

The Democrat signed a law Friday increasing registration fees Jan 1.

The money will go to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The agency says the fee could raise as much as $20 million annually toward a $750 million repair backlog. That account could grow to $35 million annually with other new recreational and fishing fees

Basic license-plate renewals will be $101 with the surcharge. A spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White — who opposed the increase — says the fee will apply to until renewals due in March at the earliest.

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The bill is SB1566.

Online: http://www.ilga.gov