CLEVELAND — A collective sigh of relief today for tens of thousands of drivers in Ohio. Some debt-related license suspensions are now eliminated under a new state law that went into effect today.
More than a year of reporting by News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan and Mark Puente with the Marshall Project-Cleveland captured the attention of lawmakers, bringing on some of the changes.
We took a close look at the impact and found you can lose driving privileges even for stuff that doesn’t have anything to do with driving.
It could be a clerical error or even ditching a court hearing.
Some people have two, three, or even nine suspensions on their record.
Missing child support payments is also one reason for a license suspension.
State Representative Darnell T. Brewer worked on HB 29 to help people get back on the road legally.
“Not just work, education, think about doctor’s appointments, think about just going to visit family maybe out of town who weren’t able to do that but get their lives back together,” Rep. Brewer said.
Brewer says he knew they’d get to this day but not this fast.
He says his office phone has been ringing off the hook from people expressing gratitude.
“Someone just called to say 'I thank you for House Bill 29' and it wasn’t even from my district, it was from Montgomery County. I had another state rep show me a text from a judge who said thank you for HB 29 that’s helped him with a lot of individuals in his rural community,” Brewer said.
Under the law, license suspensions for not paying court fines and fees will be eliminated.
RELATED: Ohio is lifting old driver’s license suspensions for unpaid fines. Here’s what to know.
Financial relief is expected with changes to the license suspension law.
That is retroactive and without having to pay BMV reinstatement fees.
School truancy is removed as a reason for license denial or suspension.
It also allows people who have suspensions for failing to pay child support to file a motion with the court for driving privileges.
Drivers should go to the BMV website and check on their driving record to see what they need to take care of and to make sure their address is current. That should speed up notifications about suspension removals.
Brewer says his office is working with libraries to let people come in and print out BMV reports.
He also plans to hold license suspension workshops.
The deadline to lift suspensions is May 9.
The caseload isn’t known at this time. The BMV says the courts need to let them know which suspensions to release.
The BMV says once it has a better handle on the number, it will make any operational adjustments necessary to ensure a smooth process and responsive customer service.
CLICK HERE to check your BMV record.
