• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Travels With The Post

  • Calendar
  • Dining
    • Beverages
    • Pottstown Foodie
    • Restaurants
  • Entertainment
    • Local Events
    • Live Theater
    • Live Music
    • Live Outdoors
    • Museums and Libraries
    • Sports
  • Travel
    • Post Road Trips
    • Riding The Rails
  • Local Traffic
    • Traffic Alerts
    • Public Transport
  • Local News
    • Government
    • Health
    • Schools
  • Local Business
  • Weather
  • About
  • Calendar
  • Dining
    • Beverages
    • Pottstown Foodie
    • Restaurants
  • Entertainment
    • Local Events
    • Live Theater
    • Live Music
    • Live Outdoors
    • Museums and Libraries
    • Sports
  • Travel
    • Post Road Trips
    • Riding The Rails
  • Local Traffic
    • Traffic Alerts
    • Public Transport
  • Local News
    • Government
    • Health
    • Schools
  • Local Business
  • Weather
  • About
Community Service May Help Some Regain Driver’s License

Community Service May Help Some Regain Driver’s License

October 24, 2024

By Christen Smith of The Center Square
Republished by Travels With The Post

(The Center Square) – Drivers in Pennsylvania who cannot pay fines necessary to reinstate their licenses will soon have another option: community service.

Community Service May Help Some Regain Driver’s License
Find more State, Counties, Boroughs, and Townships News here

A new state program, approved by the state Legislature in Harrisburg, allows qualifying residents with licenses suspended for routine violations to forgo restitution fees. In lieu of the money, they can participate in community service work. Some applicants, however, will also be placed on a payment plan.

The bill currently is headed to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk, and awaits his signature.

The bipartisan law, sponsored by Republican Sen. Pat Stefano and Democratic Sen. Jay Costa, has been four years in the making. It cleared its final legislative hurdle earlier this month.

Difference-Maker for Low-Income Drivers

“The ability to drive is essential in rural Pennsylvania,” Stefano said. “This legislation will empower drivers struggling to escape the prison of debt, created by fines and fees from traffic violations.” Soon they may be able to “get back on the road so they can continue to contribute to our local communities.”

Costa said the program will “make an enormous difference” for low-income drivers.

“By allowing judges to assign community service instead of financial penalties for drivers already struggling to make ends meet, we can ensure workers get to jobs, patients get to doctor’s appointments, kids get to school and families can live their lives,” Costa added.

According to state data, courts received more than $10.3 million in fees and penalties from driving suspensions from 2019 through 2022. Of that amount, the state collected $6.8 million. It’s unclear what impact the legislation would have on future collections, as there is no estimate of how many drivers would be eligible for the program.

Photo by Ahmet Kurt on Unsplash+, used by Travels With The Post under license

Government Law Enforcement Pennsylvania State, Counties, Boroughs, and Townships News Vehicles
Previous Post:Historical Society Offers Three Different October EventsHistorical Society Sleuths Present Oct. 30 Murder Mystery
Next Post:YWCA ‘Week Without Violence’ Returns with Party, ServicesYWCA ‘Week Without Violence’ Returns with Party, Services

Sidebar

Subscribe. It’s Free.

* indicates required

News In Your County

Montgomery County PA

Berks County PA

Chester County PA

Local and Regional News

Looking for free local news? See these sources:

The PCTV Network. PCTV, headquartered in Pottstown, provides local television programming in western Montgomery, northern Chester, and eastern Berks counties.

Digital Notebook. Pottstown resident Evan Brandt is the sole reporter for the venerable Pottstown Mercury newspaper. For many years, until February 2022, he offered observations about happenings in the borough and elsewhere. They remain valuable from a historical perspective.

The Boyertown Expression. Covers municipalities primarily within Berks County’s Boyertown Area School District, and focuses on the municipalities of Boyertown, Bally, Barto, and Gilbertsville. Its operators, Leslie Misko and Jane Stahl, are long-time Boyertown area residents with backgrounds in education and art.

Perk Valley Now. Covers municipalities primarily within Montgomery County's Perkiomen Valley School District: Zionsville, Schwenksville, Perkiomen, Perkiomenville, Trappe, Collegeville, and Skippack PA.

North Penn Now. Covers municipalities primarily within Montgomery County's North Penn School District: Hatfield township and borough, Lansdale, North Wales, Montgomery, Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd.

Keystone Wayfarer. Described by author Paula Hogan "as an outlet to publish accounts” that explore “the extensive history” of people and places in and around Schwenksville PA and, more broadly, Montgomery County PA.

Daily Voice Pottstown. Covers municipalities in western Montgomery County and beyond.

MyChesCo. MyChesCo has covered Chester County news since 2017.

Berks Community Television. Covers Berks County.

Spotlight PA. An investigative news service for Pennsylvania, supported by several news organizations statewide. It is starting a Berks County Edition.

Philly Voice. Covers Philadelphia and the suburbs.

Lehigh Valley News. Lehigh Valley News, headquartered in Bethlehem PA, provides news coverage in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and counties of the Lehigh Valley.

Travels With The Post does not endorse, and is not affiliated with, any of these websites.

Copyright © 2025 · Travels With The Post · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme