Ohioans can lose their driver鈥檚 licenses for periods of time for plenty of reasons, but Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Wednesday that overhauls parts of that process.
, introduced by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland), eliminates certain circumstances in which drivers will see a suspension鈥攊ncluding as penalties for certain drug offenses, school truancy, or overdue court fines, among others. A full list can be found .
HB 29 also creates more leniency in getting a license back.
Sen. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Township) pushed for the bill鈥檚 provisions in his Senate version, , and said the current system has the potential to create a vicious cycle for those trying to pay child assistance or other court-mandated fees.
鈥淭his is a spectacular win, albeit it isn鈥檛 our most favorite version,鈥� Blessing said in an interview Thursday. 鈥淲e did have a series of amendments in the Senate and a lot of things were taken out, but in the end, this has proven quite a good bill.鈥�
The provisions amended the most heavily, he said, related to losing a license for a debt-related reason.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 the BMV, whether it鈥檚 courts, they were losing or potentially losing revenue from fees, so you had this perverse incentive that justice was being pitted against revenue,鈥� Blessing said.
Some child maintenance agencies argued, too, that pulling a person鈥檚 license offers a powerful tool to force payments.
Left-leaning public policy research firm Policy Matters Ohio backed the bill. In a statement, Bree Easterling, who works in social justice outreach and organizing, said 60% of license suspensions per year are due to debt.
鈥淪omeone with debt needs to be able to get to work to earn the money to pay that debt,鈥� Easterling said. 鈥淭hree of every four working Ohioans drive themselves to work, no one benefits when we make it harder for them to get there.鈥�
Bills generally take effect 90 days after DeWine鈥檚 signature.
