Quinn wants to up driver fees to fund construction

SPRINGFIELD -- It will get more expensive to drive if Gov. Pat Quinn's budget proposal passes, with increased license plate, drivers license and other vehicle fees expected to pump $320 million into fixing crumbling roads and decrepit bridges.

Drivers would pay an extra $20 each year for license plate stickers and an extra $10 for their licenses.

Quinn also wants to charge more for transferring a vehicle title and registration.

The increased fees would help pay for a $26 billion statewide construction program -- dubbed Illinois Jobs Now! -- to repair roads and bridges, build schools and improve public transportation. The money would pay the interest on billions of dollars in loans to pay for construction projects.

It has been years since Illinois mounted a major construction program. Most state officials want one, but they have bickered over how to pay for it. Proposals such as opening more casinos fell flat in Springfield.

Quinn, who became governor less than two months ago, says the plan would support 340,000 jobs. He says those jobs can help dig the state out of a budget hole as deep as $11.6 billion.

The fee for renewing vehicle registration increases by $1 this summer, to $79. That's the first increase since 1999. Quinn's budget proposal would raise it to $99.

The fee for an Illinois driver's license -- up for renewal every four years -- has been stuck at $10 since 1984. Quinn would double it to $20. Most states charge $20 or more.

The governor also wants to increase vehicle transfer fees by $40 to $105. The cost to transfer registration would double to $30.