Novi Times

Recently approved legislation gives Michigan drivers until Friday, Dec. 11, to renew their licenses and vehicle registrations.

House Bills 5756 and 5757 extended a previous grace period, enabling anyone whose license or vehicle registration expired after March 1 of this year to remain legal through Dec. 11.

Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden), who sponsored the House bills, said that the measure was necessary because of Michiganders being unable to renew the documents during the pandemic due to state offices being overwhelmed, according to the Michigan House Republicans website.

Rep. Mike Mueller | Michigan House Republicans

“With all of the financial, emotional and physical challenges the people of Michigan have endured this year, they shouldn’t also be forced to pay late fees or penalties because they have been unable to renew their licenses or registrations by no fault of their own,” Mueller, a former Livingston County sheriff’s deputy, told Michigan House Republicans. “People throughout Michigan have voiced concerns to me and to my colleagues in the Legislature about license and registration renewals. This extension offers needed peace of mind for Michigan residents and clarity for law enforcement.”

Mueller stressed that people with expired licenses and registrations would otherwise have been in violation due to circumstances outside of their control.

In addition, the legislation provides a clear explanation of what documents are considered valid, which simplifies things for both drivers and law enforcement.

The expectation is that by the time the extension expires, the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will be able to catch up on some of the backlogged workload, thus lessening the wait times for those seeking renewals, according to WHMI 93.5 FM. In addition, the legislation provides for some fees associated with renewals to be waived.