Dan Rutherford

MONMOUTH - Republican Dan Rutherford has plans for the Illinois Secretary of State's office, if he is elected to the post in November.

Rutherford was on the campaign trail Tuesday, making stops in cities like Monmouth, Galesburg and Macomb.

Rutherford will take on incumbent Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in the General Election.

During his stop in Monmouth Rutherford said he was promoting his bill which calls for additional time behind the wheel for teens learning to drive.

"The bill calls for young people to spend twice as much time behind the wheel," Rutherford said. "You are now required to spend 25 hours driving before you are eligible to get your driver's license. This bill doubles that to 50 with 10 of the hours being at night time."

Once Gov. Rod Blagojevich signs the bill, the law goes into effect immediately.

There are a number of reasons why Rutherford is pleased the bill passed both chambers of the General Assembly. Safety is the key concern. Not only the safety of people on the roadways, but for the teenagers themselves. Rutherford said six teenagers are injured or killed each day in traffic accidents in the United States. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the US.

Outside of his bill, Rutherford said the number one complaint he is hearing on the campaign trail is problems with Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices and changes made for drivers who need a CDL license.

"When you pull up to drive-thru to get your cheeseburger, if you have to wait more than a couple of minutes, you will go somewhere else," Rutherford explained. "Government is a monopoly. You cannot do that at the BMV - you have to have a driver's license."

Rutherford said if elected he will upgrade the technology in BMV offices.

"In California you can pull up the BMV on a website and make an appointment," Rutherford added. "There is no reason why we can't do that here. You pull up the BMV, make an appointment and eliminate the long wait at the BMV branch."

Rutherford said he has also heard a number of complaints regarding White's decision to close certain CDL testing sites and forming regional testing sites.

"No one wants to drive two hours one way to take the test," he stated. "If I am elected, I will have the people who do the testing pick one or two days of the week to go to places like Monmouth or Pontiac, where the office has been closed and do testing."

Rutherford said change starts at the time. He noted the changes in the Secretary of State's office will only be successful if the office holder is on top of the changes taking place. Rutherford said that if elected he will stand accountable for everything and anything that takes place within the office.

Rutherford has been in the Illinois General Assembly for 14 years. He said if the election were held next week he might "fall a couple of votes short." However, Rutherford noted he and his campaign team are working on a strategy that he believes will enable him to win the race in November.