The Virginia Senate voted 39-0 this afternoon to repeal the unpopular "abusive driver" fees passed last year.

Included in the bill is a new amendment to provide those who have been charged the fees a means to get a refund from the state treasurer.

Written by Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, the amendment allows any person "aggrieved by the imposition" of the fees to file a petition in general district court to get their money back. No filing fee will be assessed for the request, and individuals can file the petition in either their local general district court or the court where they were charged.

The amendment also provides that no one will lose their license for failure to pay the fees. Any money collected from the fees that is not refunded will go into the state's literary fund for school construction.

The unpopular fees were approved in 2007 by the General Assembly and Gov. Tim Kaine as part of a patchwork transportation funding plan. At the time, they received support from Democrats and Republicans alike. But when they took effect in July, Virginians reacted with instant outrage to the penalties, which apply only to state residents and can run as high as $3,000 for a felony offense.

The House of Delegates voted Tuesday to pass a similar bill to repeal the fees, but that bill did not include the refund provision that the Senate added to its version today.