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Governor Quinn Signs "Sign and Drive" Law

Press Release - Saturday, August 09, 2014

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed a new law to end the practice of posting a valid driver‘s license as security for traffic citations in Illinois. Today's action on the "Sign and Drive" law continues the Governor's commitment to making Illinois government more accountable, transparent and effective.

"A driver's license is an important form of identification, and without it many residents may run into problems during everyday situations when a valid ID is required," Governor Quinn said. "This common sense legislation will allow law enforcement officials to continue doing their jobs while letting motorists hang onto a vital piece of identification. ‘Sign and Drive' will help ensure motorists comply with the law and keep traffic moving on our streets."

Senate Bill 2583, sponsored by State Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin) and State Representative John D'Amico (D-Chicago), eliminates the requirement that a valid driver's license must be posted as bail for certain traffic offenses. The new law allows a motorist's signature on the citation to be their guarantee that they will comply with the terms of the citation and either appear in court or pay the required fine. As before, the Secretary of State can suspend the driving privileges of any motorist who does not comply with the citation. The legislation is made effective on January 1, 2015.

"No longer will motorists be inconvenienced by having to give up their driver's license for nothing more than a moving violation," Senator Noland said. "With this bill, Illinois drivers will be able to keep their driver's license which is used as a primary form of identification for receiving services related to banking, travel, education and more. Now, with just their signature, drivers in Illinois can pay their fines online or by mail, appear if necessary, but keep their license as long as their fine is paid. This will save on time away from work, family matters and other more important activities of everyday life in Illinois. It will also make it less costly to process the ever increasing number of cases coming into our traffic courts. This bill is a win-win for our courts and our citizens. Safe travels to all."

"Senate Bill 2583 is a piece of commonsense legislation aimed at cutting down on the instances of identification misuse or misplacement," Representative D'Amico said. "This bill will get our safe drivers back on the road and keep our state moving forward."

Governor Quinn has supported and developed programs and signed legislation to make travel on Illinois roadways safer and more convenient. Last year he signed legislation to prohibit the use of all hand-held mobile phones while driving on Illinois roads and to increase the penalties where any use of an electronic device while driving is the cause of an accident. This summer, Governor Quinn signed legislation to prohibit municipalities from requiring police officers to meet ticket quotas and to prevent quotas from being used to evaluate an officer's performance.

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