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Michigan Governor Snyder signs bill eliminating some "driver responsibility" fees

Governor Rick Snyder has signed bills to eliminate the fees charged to drivers convicted of driving without a license or insurance.

The $150 or $200 fees had to paid for two years on top of any other fines assessed for the infractions.

Critics say the fees were not fair, and encouraged some people to continue driving without a license or mandatory insurance coverage.

The fees generated somewhere between $8 and $13 million a year to help balance the state budget.

There is a movement in the Legislature to eliminate driver responsibility fees for some more-serious offenses, such as drunk driving, but it would cost the state money it cannot replace.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.
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