Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Wow, that's the way to do it. We have many people today driving without licenses or on suspended ones; unregistered vehicles. The cost of living is astronomical with gas prices rising etc, so why not put more burden on the lower income folks, the ones that struggle everyday; the ones who seem to hit the barriers daily. There are other ways to balance the budget--stop all travel for the state; stop feeding people who attend state meetings and/or need to have their parking paid for; stop the frivilous supply ordering, bring in your own pen and paper; who needs neon postits; instate mileage reimbursement is over the top as is the per diem for folks who travel out of state and get fed. I am sure once the Governor gets the furloug day from the lowest state employed he will almost achieve his DESIRES!

All tax payers MOVE OUT OF RI!! Let the people who support ILLEGALS pay for them!

and the governor wonders why people leave here to go to florida.don you are a dope,or your on dope.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME... It costs more and more to register and renew your license but what is my money going to? certianly not to fix the roads in this state. I cannot wait til the market changes and i can sell my house and get out of WRONG ISLAND

Those fees, especially the registration fee, are utterly ridiculous!!!! Close the budget gaps in other ways -- perhaps cutting salaries of government cronies, cutting unnecessary positions, etc.

Some of you need to learn how to read. Reinstatements are not the same as renewals. Maybe RI should put the money towards literacy programs for projo readers...

um..... these fees only have to be paid for REINSTATEMENT

Good! If you're irresponsible enough to have your license and or registration revoked because of DUIs, drugs, or refusing th chemical test (which only a drunk would do) then you should be paying more than the rest of us. Don't break the law and you won't have to pay astronomical fees!!! Poverty is no excuse.

Thanks Bob! I was already thinking what u said :)

LOL-- Bob is so right! I guess we do need more money in EDUCATION! how can anyone argur against increasing the reinstatment fee for a drunk driver? In my mind, ANY fee is generous..they should have a 3-5 yr mandatory suspension!

LOL-- Bob is so right! I guess we do need more money for EDUCATION! how can anyone argue against increasing the reinstatement fee for a drunk driver? In my mind, ANY fee is generous..they should have a 3-5 yr mandatory suspension!

Just really another form of taxes disguised as something else.
Rhode Island has higher taxes than Taxachusetts...so is it Rhode Taxland or Tax Island?

Well, why is anyone complaining, LOL? Someone has to pay for all those wonderful union salaries and benefits and it's us hapless taxpayers. Rhode Island is #1 (out of all 50 states) in cost-per-capita for firefighter services. I'm sure we're over-paying for everything else too.

The problem is how rigid the requirements for inspection are. No other state is as strict. If you don't pass inspection, and the 30-day leeway period is not enough time to raise the money for car repairs, then they automatically suspend your registration. That's what the $251 reinstatement fee is for. Rediculous! LOOK at this link to the inspection manual. From page 39 to 100 are all the ways listed that they can reject your vehical for inspection. http://www.dmv.ri.gov/documents/Official_Manual_Motor_Vehicle_Inspections.pdf
It's no wonder that other wise honest people have to resort to driving illegally in this state.

You lost your privilage to drive, because of a wrong doing.It should cost you to get it back. I agree with the fees.

All of these fees are associated with a previous wrong doing so you lost your right to drive. It should cost you to get it back. Sorry if most don't understand this. I agree with the process.

counting da days till its time to leave tax island yahoo

OFF THE DMV WEBSITE:

Effective Monday, May 18, 2009
All Operator Control fees associated with suspended licenses and/or registrations increase as indicated.

Suspended license reinstatement fees - $151.50
Suspended license reinstatement fees for DUI for alcohol or drugs, or refusal to submit to
chemical test convictions - $351.50
Suspended registration (license plates) reinstatement fees - $251.50

http://www.dmv.ri.gov/suspensions

anyone with any smarts who can should move out of rhode island. there is nothing here. any young person has no chance here if you don,t have the JUICE to get a good job. the rich get richer and the poor just DIE POOR. WHAT A SHAME

I'm so incensed that I don't know what to write. All this state knows how to do is INCREASE everything, yet there is no accountability as to where this money is going. If I knew it would help improve our roads and bridges, I would be OK. But, it will probably go into the "general fund" and be used to provide more free meals for our state legislature. Fat cats who don't need to get fatter.

A reinstatement fee is for those people who have received tickets and have either failed to come to court to address them or pay the fine before the due date. They are given notice and ample opportunity in RI to clear the violation prior to suspension.
Prior to this increase, RI had one of the lowest reinstatement fees in the country and had not been increased in years - compare the fees in MA or CT. If you are a responsible driver - this is a fee that you will never have to worry about!

I'm in my mid 20s, college educated, employed, and am fleeing Tax Island in two weeks, never to return.

This is a beautiful state, with great people. But the government is deplorable. Taxes are through the roof and I see zero benefits for myself other than a safe neighborhood and a dependable fire department. All this disability tax this, fees tripling for that--none of it helps me. Why would I say here? The state just sees me as an ATM it can use to satisfy special interests and voting groups.

Bye RI!

For those of you who can't understand this VERY short article, are you products of a RI education? The increased fees are for people who have broken the law... NOT as a penalty for being poor. Do you understand that??

Now, I am not in favor of balancing the budget through the increasing of fees and taxes as opposed to cutting spending, but I would like it if people would at least know what they're talking about before they open their mouths.

One more slap in the face of rhode islanders. Kick us when we are down. Next there will be a tax on the rhode island air that we breathe which by the way isn't the cleanest air by far. The sewer treatment plants do a great job of polluting the air and waters of ri. I am beginning to thin that carcieri suffers from dimentia just like that other politician who just had his license revoked in south county.

Hey, It's about time that the message gets out and hits all those who break the law in their pocket. You Drink(do drugs etc), You choose to Drive, and get Caught you're going to PAY in a BIG way. I even would like to see those people get jail time if they are caught driving after their licence is suspended. Too many offenders get off way too easy.

Chris,
that money goes to pay that "pleasant" (said with much sarcasism) little troll woman that works the counter at the DMV. I have lived in a number of states over the past 25 years and the professionalism of the RI DMV workers is definatley at the bottom of the list. They sit there and act like you are bothering them and they are entitled to their job. Sure, why not, give them some more money...

I would just like to know what the Governor and his cronies are giving up or paying more for to help RI

It's about time. This only affects people who refused to follow the law in the first place. This doesn't effect anyone else. Read it carefully before you critize.
When you renew your license it is still the same price, when you renew your reg it is the same price. But if you get arrested for DUI, License suspended for failure to pay child support, failure to pay tickets than this is a great way to recoup all the expenses that is paid to go after these idiots.
The only downfall is that this should be court imposed fines.

I'm not from R.I.. I'm from Minnesota. The DUI laws here are very strict. We have a $750 reinstatement fee. So quite complaining! Naw, just kidding. On a serious note, however, driving is an essential part of life. Out here, theres no other way of getting to a job but to drive yourself. What good does it do to charge someone $750 to reinstate their license if they don't have the money to do it? So the guy with a DUI, perhaps learning his lesson, still can't cough up $750 to get his license back cause he doesn't get paid enough. So what happens? Now he can't drive to work to earn the money for the reinstatement fee. Now we have a situation where we have an illegal driver on the road AND the state hasn't gotten their money... where is the sense in that? If you expect the individual to follow the law, then they are left by themselves and unable to earn a living, turning homeless. It might as well be a death sentence and certainly constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

I love when people just outright say "Well you shouldn't have done it then! Thats the price you pay!" But it does no good for the rehabilitation of the individual nor for the economy nor for the finances of the government. Instead of charging fees, the individual should be made to go through rigorous substance abuse counseling. Instead of spending all this money to put ppl behind bars where we have to pay for their room and board and food, use the money to rehabilitate them so they can join the active workforce again and pay taxes like the rest of us. Give them a way to reestablish themselves as upright citizens. The current laws are just completely nonsensical and they only hurt the people that they're meant to protect.