«Paying that much is nuts.»<\/b>
\nCHICAGO (CBS) \u2014 While Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, boaters in Illinois have extra reason to celebrate. A whopping 555% increase in license plate fees for boat trailers could soon be nearly reversed thanks to a bill that just passed the Illinois House. CBS 2\u2019s Tim McNicholas reports from Burnham Harbor and boaters there said they\u2019re finally optimistic about a potential fix. It all started when a 2019 infrastructure bill spiked the renewal fees. Now a fix is finally moving in Springfield. Starting last year, boaters went from paying $18 dollars per year to $118. All in license plate fees. Not for their boats, but for the small trailers they use to haul them. \u201cPaying that much is nuts.\u201d Frank Wagner said he only uses his trailer on Memorial Day and a few other days a year. \u201cWhich is just crazy for something like a boat that only hits the road for maybe 50 miles a year,\u201d Wagner said. Since early 2020, lawmakers said a fix was on the way, but lawmakers said COVID and other obstacles left those plans dead in the water. Now the Illinois House has finally passed a bill that would bring the fees down to $36 dollars, sponsored by Representative Marcus Evans (33rd) of Chicago. \u201cWe got to pay the bills in the state of Illinois so folks are looking for revenue. So I think this is something where people said it won\u2019t be so bad,\u201d Evans said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think there was a lot of analysis at that time.\u201d CBS 2 has been flooded with complaints from boaters and lawmakers have heard from some of those same frustrated taxpayers. The small trailers are also used to haul ATVs and lawnmowers. Evans said he\u2019s confident the bill will pass the Senate and be signed by the governor. \u201cSometimes you make mistakes but as a government you must fix them and address them,\u201d Evans said. The bill does not include refunds for people like Wagner, whose already lost more than $200 to the increase. \u201cPlease just sign it. Get this fixed,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was a mistake or what but I mean that\u2019s just insane.\u201d Evans is optimistic that the new fee could go into effect sometime this summer, but it depends how this shakes out in the Senate. For now, he advises everyone to continue paying the high fee.<\/p>\n