U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Chris Coons (D-DE) reintroduced the bipartisan Driving for Opportunity Act Tuesday.
The legislation would create an incentive to stop debt-based driver’s license suspensions.
According to Wicker and Coons, an estimated 11 million people across the country have had their driver’s licenses suspended because they cannot pay fines or fees, a practice the Congressmen said made it harder for Americans to go to work to pay off their debts.
“Suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees is counterproductive,” Wicker said. “Americans need access to vehicles to work and to care for their families. My home state of Mississippi rightly banned this practice in 2018. This legislation would encourage other states to follow our lead.”
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials supports the legislation.
“Suspending licenses limits people’s ability to access work, groceries, education, and health care services, but it does not increase safety, and AASHTO and state DOTs believe our focus should always be on safety,” Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, said in a letter to Congressional leadership.
“Across the country, millions of people have their driver’s licenses suspended for reasons that are unrelated to highway or public safety—usually unpaid fines and fees,” Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said in the letter. “Forcing officers to arrest a person for driving with a suspended license due to unpaid fees is a waste of valuable law enforcement time and resources. This bill will help those in difficult circumstances and free law enforcement to focus on protecting our communities.”
The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Boozman (R-AR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), James Lankford (R-OK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).