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92_SB1552gms
State of Illinois
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Springfield, Illinois 62706
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR
July 19, 2002
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate
92nd General Assembly
Specialty license plates serve an admirable purpose of
recognizing and raising funds for organizations and worthy
causes throughout the State of Illinois. In signing Senate
Bill 1552 today, I honor the General Assembly's intentions
and support a longstanding tradition in Illinois to provide
our residents with the opportunity to display their support
for a cause or organization through specialty license plates.
However, I also recognize that the State is experiencing a
proliferation of specialty plates, which holds the potential
to impact Illinois citizens with respect to public safety.
The Illinois State Police and law enforcement community have
indicated a growing concern with the increasing number of
special plates. The myriad of designs available make it
difficult for law enforcement officers to identify properly
issued valid Illinois registrations, impairing the ability of
police to quickly identify suspect vehicles.
It is also essential, especially in these tight economic
times, for the State to curtail any unnecessary spending.
In creating a funding mechanism within Senate Bill 1552, the
General Assembly has made clear its intention for the
additional fee paid by the recipients of special license
plates to cover the cost of their design and production. In
order to ensure that the General Assembly's intention is
guaranteed, I believe it is essential that the State incur
the costs of special plate production only after the
applicants for the plates have demonstrated a sufficient
level of interest to cover those costs.
I encourage the Secretary of State's Office to use the
discretionary powers provided to the office by Section 3-600
of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/3-600) which allows
the Secretary to produce new special plates only when a
sufficient level of applications have been received.
Sincerely,
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR