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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 14, 2021 03:48 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Clint Owlett |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Rural Access to PennDOT Services Act |
| In the near future, I will be introducing the “Rural Access to PennDOT Services Act,” which will require PennDOT to reopen its satellite driver licensing centers, commonly referred to as “travel sites.” As background, travel sites are satellite PennDOT driver licensing centers that serve rural communities and offer in-person PennDOT services for a limited number of days per week. These travel sites are mostly staffed by PennDOT employees whose main place of operation is a larger driver licensing center and commute to staff the travel sites on the limited number of days these sites are open. Despite PennDOT reopening many of its driver licensing centers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, these travel sites remain closed. The continued closure of travel sites disproportionally imposes burdens on our rural constituents who must travel unreasonable distances to an open PennDOT driver licensing center, and below you will find a list of locations where travel sites remain closed:
Despite my repeated requests, as of the date of this memo PennDOT has yet to provide me an exact date for the reopening of these sites. PennDOT claims its goal is to provide “equitable” consideration to the transportation needs of all Pennsylvanians, yet our rural constituents, regardless of income, age, ethnicity or sex, are being required to expend more time and incur more travel expenses just to receive the same in-person services that those in more populated areas may take for granted. Given that PennDOT has found ways to safely and responsibly open their main driving licensing centers with proper COVID-19 mitigation procedures, I see no reason why these travel sites should continue to be closed. To this end, the Rural Access to PennDOT Services Act will simply require PennDOT to reopen these sites to the operational level that these sites were at prior to the pandemic. If enacted, the Rural Access to PennDOT Services Act would require PennDOT to reopen all travel sites within 2 weeks. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this needed legislation that will provide all Pennsylvanians, whether rural, suburban or urban, with equal access to in-person PennDOT services. |
Introduced as HB1456