JENKINTOWN PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

A new law (formerly known as HB 1617) has been passed in Pennsylvania and will take effect in early January 2013. The bill passed unanimously in the house and 46 to 3 in the Senate. The law allows Pennsylvania courts to suspend the driver’s license of any defendant failing to pay full restitution for incidents of bad driving and motor vehicle accidents. Rep. Keith Gillespie credited York County Clerk of Courts Don O’Shell as being “the driving force behind this legislation.”

Rep. Gillespie (R-York) says that the change lets courts “make people responsible for their irresponsible actions.” Up until this point, many people who owed restitution for a driving-related offense would just pay half and then be allowed to get their license back. Once they got the license back, they would just neglect to pay the remainder of the fine. This has meant millions and millions of dollars restitution fines were unpaid in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is hoping the law will help the state collect about $90 million for victims of driving related offenses through restitution.

The bill does take in to account that some people have extremely large amounts of restitution to pay, so offenders with more to pay are allowed to set up a payment plan. They will be able to hold on to their license as long as they keep their account current. Gillespie said in a statement that “(The new law) gives the courts a tool for ensuring that restitution is paid and victims are made whole.”