PIERRE - One of the things South Dakota lawmakers may consider in the 2009 Legislature is an increase in motor-vehicle licensing fees.
The last major increase took place in 1999 when license-plates for cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans went up an average of $12.
Historically, licensing costs are far less now than they were in 1931. License plates at that time ranged from $13 to $75 in South Dakota.
The state's very first license plate, which was issued in 1913, was priced at $6.
South Dakotans paid a total of $48 million last year to license their motor vehicles. In 1997, that figure was $28 million.
