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Committee unanimously approves bill letting certificated adults verify driving hours and waiving initial license fee for minors experiencing homelessness
Summary
The House Transportation Committee voted unanimously to approve House Bill 472 as amended, allowing certain certificated adults to verify required driving practice for minors experiencing homelessness and waiving the fee for an initial driver’s license or ID card for those meeting the federal definition of homeless children and youth.
The Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee unanimously approved House Bill 472 as amended, which allows a teacher, social worker or children-and-youth caseworker to certify that a minor experiencing homelessness has completed the statutorily required driving practice hours and waives the fee for an initial driver’s license or identification card for people who meet the federal definition of homeless children and youth.
The change aims to remove barriers that can prevent students who lack a permanent address from obtaining a license and seeking employment or education. Committee members said the measure will help some teenagers remain in school and enter the workforce.
House Bill 472, introduced by Representative Ryan Bizarro, directs that a minor experiencing homelessness may present certification from a teacher, social worker or children-and-youth caseworker that the minor completed the required 65 hours of practical driving experience, including 10 hours of nighttime driving and five hours of inclement-weather driving, when applying to test for a driver’s license. The bill as amended also specifies the fee waiver applies only to an initial driver’s license or initial identification card.
An amendment filed as A00146, offered by Chairman Ed Nielsen, clarified the bill’s definition of “minor experiencing homelessness,” made technical changes and moved the bill’s effective date to 19 months after enactment. The amendment was adopted by the committee without objection. After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve the bill as amended.
“Some of [these youths] have to fend for themselves, get a job in addition to trying to go to school. So if the goal is to keep people in school, keep them educated while they’re trying to work, why not take this barrier down?” Chairman Benninghoff said during the committee’s remarks, and he stated he would vote yes.
Committee members noted the scale of the need: the committee record states that more than 40,000 students experienced homelessness in Pennsylvania in 2023, a challenge the committee said affects counties across the Commonwealth and can impede access to employment when youths lack a license or permanent address.
The committee took no additional actions on related implementation details during the hearing. The bill will move forward in the legislative process as reported by the committee.
