CHICAGO – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Fran Hurley, D-Chicago, to reduce the costs that accompany registering a vehicle for seniors and school districts passed the House Transportation: Vehicles and Safety committee this week.

“Living on a fixed income is difficult enough, and seniors shouldn’t be burdened with additional costs,” Hurley said. “This bill will reduce the costs on vehicle registration for many seniors who already have trouble making ends meet.”

Hurley is the primary House sponsor of Senate Bill 2974. The bill eliminates the current surcharge when registering a vehicle for seniors and persons with disabilities, and their spouses, who receive benefits under the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Relief Act, formerly known as the ‘Circuit Breaker Program.’ Eligibility for the program is based on household income. The proposal also reduces the requirements for public bodies who own vehicles to only register the vehicle once while the body owns the vehicle.

“Our schools already face enough financial challenges, and they shouldn’t have to pay year after year to legally own the vehicles they need to get students to school safely,” Hurley said.” “I appreciate the bipartisan support this bill received in committee, and I’ll continue to work on ways we can reduce financial burden on seniors, people with disabilities and our schools.”

Senate Bill 2974 passed the House Transportation: Vehicles and Safety Committee unanimously this week.

For more information on this event or any state issue, please contact Hurley’s constituent service office at 773-445-8128 or repfranhurley@gmail.com.