Legislation to remove an additional twenty-dollar license plate fee imposed on Illinois residents seeking a U.S. Air Force license plate passed unanimously out of the House of Representatives. The bill is sponsored by State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville).
“I am glad my colleagues in the House agree with me, the additional fee placed on supporters of the U.S. Air Force is redundant and unnecessary,” said Rep. Meier. “No other military plate has an additional fee like this one. A special thank you to my constituent, Bill Halcomb, for bringing this unnecessary fee to my attention, with his help we are another step closer to eliminating this extra fee placed on individuals purchasing or renewing license plates in support of the U.S. Air Force.”
Rep. Meier sponsored House Bill 2939 at the request of his constituent Bill Halcomb, a retired Air Force Veteran concerned with the fact the extra fee collected is no longer being utilized for its intended purpose.
Currently, anyone seeking a U.S. Air Force license plate is charged a $20 fee in addition to applicable registration fees. $15 is deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $5 is deposited into the Octave Chanute Aerospace Heritage Fund. When renewing the registration an additional $20 is charged with $2 going to the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $18 going to the Octave Chanute Aerospace Heritage Fund.