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Illinois won't remind you if you need a vehicle emissions test

As another casualty of the Illinois budget impasse, the state will no longer remind you when you need to go for vehicle emissions testing, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.

This comes on top of Illinois suspending mailing residents reminders that their vehicle registration is expiring, a move Secretary of State Jesse White said could save $450,000 a month.

The state stopped sending the emissions testing notices in December and says drivers whose license plates expire in March will be the first to not receive the reminder notices.

Of course, it's simple to look at the sticker on your license plate to figure out when your registration expires, but how will you know when your vehicle needs an emissions test?

The Illinois EPA says most vehicles that need to be tested in 2016 include those with an even model-year from 1996 to 2012. The agency also says most vehicles manufactured after 1996 are subject to an emissions test after they are four years old.

Diesel and electric vehicles are among those the IEPA says are exempt from emissions testing.

Illinois residents can sign up for vehicle registration reminders via email at www.ilsos.gov/greenmail/, and drivers are notified whether an Illinois vehicle emissions test is required before the registration is renewed.

After the state stopped mailing vehicle registration reminders, vehicle renewals fell by 19 percent in November.

The state is eight months into the fiscal year with no budget in place, the result of a standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-led legislature.

White's office says when the IEPA resumes sending emissions test reminders, the secretary of state will also resume regular vehicle registration procedures.

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