Ohioans can lose their driver’s licenses for periods of time for plenty of reasons, but Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Wednesday that overhauls parts of that process.
House Bill 29, introduced by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland), eliminates certain circumstances in which drivers will see a suspension—including as penalties for certain drug offenses, school truancy, or overdue court fines, among others. A full list can be found here.
HB 29 also creates more leniency in getting a license back.
Sen. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Township) pushed for the bill’s provisions in his Senate version, Senate Bill 37, 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.
“This is a spectacular win, albeit it isn’t our most favorite version,” Blessing said in an interview Thursday. “We 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.”
The provisions amended the most heavily, he said, related to losing a license for a debt-related reason.
“Whether it’s the BMV, whether it’s courts, they were losing or potentially losing revenue from fees, so you had this perverse incentive that justice was being pitted against revenue,” Blessing said.
Some child maintenance agencies argued, too, that pulling a person’s 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.
“Someone with debt needs to be able to get to work to earn the money to pay that debt. Three of every four working Ohioans drive themselves to work, no one benefits when we make it harder for them to get there.”
Bills generally take effect 90 days after DeWine’s signature.
