CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is asking lawmakers to help bring in money by allowing advertising on vehicle registration reminders that are mailed out to millions of homes each year.
The idea is to avoid a repeat of October 2015, when White’s office temporarily stopped mailing the annual renewal notice due to of a lack of funding in the midst of the budget impasse, the Chicago Tribune (https://trib.in/2jYHtXX ) reported.
The number of people fined for failing to register their vehicles in time skyrocketed during the 10 months the mailers didn’t go out.
Lawmakers eventually approved some money to resume the mailings, but that measure expired Jan. 1. White spokesman Dave Druker said the notices will continue for now, but that money will eventually be needed to keep them going.
About 9.6 million renewal notices are mailed annually, and it costs about $450,000 a month in postage to send the reminders. The office has tried to push email reminders to cut down on costs and prevent fines, but only 2.5 million drivers have signed up.
Druker said officials hope much of the cost could be covered if lawmakers approve legislation that would allow companies to purchase advertising space on the notices. Advertising chosen by the secretary of state’s office wouldn’t equal an endorsement of a product but strictly be a way to bring in more funds, Druker said.
This isn’t the first time the office has explored selling advertising. Lawmakers asked White in 2011 to study the possibility of allowing corporations to sponsor license plates in order to generate more money for Illinois, but it was determined the program wouldn’t bring in substantial profits.
___
Information from: Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.