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Snyder OKs Bill To End Some Drivers' Fees

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation that will eliminate some extra fees that are imposed on drivers for certain traffic offenses.

The bill signed this week and announced Wednesday repeals pieces of the state's "driver responsibility" program that adds extra fees to some offenses that offenders already must pay fines for committing.

The extra fees will end for offenses including driving with an expired license, and driving without insurance or proof of insurance.

The changes outlined in the new law will take effect in October 2012.

Some lawmakers consider the extra fees unfair and say they make driving and insurance more difficult to afford.

Senator Coleman Young, who called the fees "draconian," said they never should have been allowed by the Legislature in the first place.

Senator Bert Johnson, who championed the legislation, said it eliminates the most burdensome of the driver responsibility fees, allowing drivers to break the cycle of debt and instead come into compliance with the law. He believes the bill will result in fewer uninsured drivers and eventually lower insurance costs.

The state could lose more than $20 million a year by eliminating the fees.

TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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