By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


A new bill offers up more services at the Secretary of State, but a local legislator says there is still more work to be done.

On Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills into law. As a result, the expiration date of all vehicle registrations, driver's licenses, and state IDs has been pushed to 120 days after the original expiration dates between March 31st and August 1st of this year. Late fees are being waived and refunds issued to residents retroactively affected by pandemic restrictions. Walk-in services are also required now.

State Representative Ann Bollin of Brighton Township said, in a release from her office, that “this is a huge improvement for people who have been forced to log on to the department’s error-prone website twice a day in hopes of securing a next-day appointment,” but still “the Secretary of State has much more work to do to give the people of Michigan the level of service they deserve.” Bollin cautions that being able to walk into an office does not guarantee same-day service and that a resident may walk in only to have an employee schedule an appointment for another day. She called these moves a “step in the right direction,” but “the branches need to be open to the public for longer hours and people with urgent business must have their needs met the same day they visit.”

In a release from the state, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said they are glad to be entering a new era of services at their offices that are more efficient and convenient than ever before.