Macon Reporter

House Bill 4488 in the Illinois General Assembly would remove fees for specialty license plates for families of fallen veterans. The current fee for the license plates is $151. 

"I am proud to say that one of my bills was the second on the floor to move forward! We now move from 2nd to 3rd reading," said state Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) in an April 13 Facebook post. Scherer was one of 11 House co-sponsors of the bill. "HB20 does away with the registration fee that families in Illinois who qualify for Gold Star license plates pay for registration." Scherer wrote. "Gold Star families are the immediate relatives of military personnel that lost their life while on active duty, whether it be during war or peacetime."

The bill is intended to help the surviving family members of deceased veterans. 

HB 4488 amends the Illinois Vehicle Code by removing the requirement that those registering for Gold Star specialty license plates be charged a registration fee. The requirement would be waived for widows, widowers and parents of soldiers who died while in service. The bill was originally broader, but an amendment excluded siblings, daughters and sons from the fee exemption and also limited it to deaths that occurred in wartime.