Changes
in Store for PA Drivers
Dale
G. Larrimore, Esquire[1]
2017 is going to be a year of change for drivers in Pennsylvania. In addition
to the changes in the Vehicle Code or court decisions that may affect some of
us, there are two more basic issues that will affect all drivers.
First, for vehicle owners, there are new rules for the annual registration of
vehicles. No longer will you receive the small sticker to be attached to your
license plate on the renewal of your car registration. Vehicle owners are still
obligated to register their vehicles and obtain a registration card from the
Department of Transportation. However, in a move that PennDOT estimates will
save the over $3 million annually, the state will no longer send little
stickers to be affixed to your license plate.
This change will enable owners to renew vehicle registrations online and print
their official registration card at home, rather than receiving it through the
mail. You will now also be able to register for two years at one time, by
doubling the $36 annual fee. Of course, you may still mail a check to PennDOT
for the annual fee and receive a registration card in the mail.
The second major change involves the REAL ID Act, passed by the U.S. Congress
in 2005, mandating changes to state standards, procedures and requirements for
the issuance of driver's licenses and identification cards, if they are to be
accepted as identity documents by the federal government. Pennsylvania does not
currently meet these federal standards due to the passage, by the Pennsylvania
General Assembly, of the REAL ID Nonparticipation Act[2] which bars the Governor and PennDOT from
participating in REAL ID.
PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards
said in a statement in October: “In large measure, we are out of compliance for
limited technical reasons and because existing state law bars us from fully
complying. While we understand frustration with the cost of this unfunded
federal mandate, our failure to comply because of the prohibition of current
law will be a burden for Pennsylvanians.” In a statement issued at the
beginning of 2016, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson noted that, “for
a license or identification card to be REAL ID compliant, the state issuing it
must, for example, incorporate anti-counterfeit technology into the card,
verify the applicant's identity, and conduct background checks for employees
involved in issuing driver’s licenses.”
Under the REAL ID law, airline
passengers from Pennsylvania and eight other states will not be allowed to
board a flight as of January 22, 2018. Of more immediate concern, however,
beginning on January 30, 2017, a Pennsylvania driver’s license would not be a
valid form of identification for those visiting a federal facility, nuclear
power plant or military base. Pennsylvania residents will need a
federally-approved form of identification to access those buildings and
facilities.
In January, Gov. Wolf and
Pennsylvania legislative leaders wrote to the Department of Homeland Security
and committed to taking action during this legislative session to make
Pennsylvania driver’s licenses REAL ID compliant. Based on that communication,
Homeland Security has granted Pennsylvania a final extension, until June 6,
2017, to show real progress in complying with the law. PennDOT has estimated
that compliance with the federal statute would cost over $250 million for
replacement of the nine million driver’s licenses and 1.4 million photo ID cards.
However, other states have issued compliant licenses at a lower cost. State
legislators are taking a two-pronged approach: asking federal legislators if
the REAL ID law can be changed and working out a plan to make Pennsylvania
licenses more secure.
[1] Dale Larrimore is
the author of the authoritative treatise, Pennsylvania
Rules of the Road, published by Thomson Reuters, Vol. 13 of West’s
Pennsylvania Practice Series.
[2] Act
of May 8, 2012, P.L. 254, No. 38. “Neither the Governor nor the Department
of Transportation or any other Commonwealth agency shall participate in the
REAL ID Act of 2005 or regulations promulgated thereunder.”
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