Bill ensures people with disabilities receive more equal representation

Rep. Bizzarro’s bill would provide ‘seat at the table’ for more people, drivers

HARRISBURG, May 23 – State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro’s bill that would provide more equal representation for more drivers, particularly people with disabilities, passed the House Tuesday with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“People with disabilities drive, and – like many of us – they have concerns and needs,” Bizzarro said. “Unfortunately, until this bill is signed into law, people with disabilities do not always have a seat at the table when it comes to PennDOT’s Medical Advisory Board. This bill would provide more equal representation, and it would ensure the needs and concerns of drivers with disabilities are heard at the state level.”

Bizzarro’s H.B. 134 would ensure a certified driver rehabilitation specialist is seated on the State Department of Transportation’s Medical Advisory Board. The Medical Advisory Board reviews regulations proposed by PennDOT concerning physical and mental criteria, including vision standards relating to the licensing of drivers. Driver rehabilitation specialists, meanwhile, would help ensure more equal representation since they work regularly with people with disabilities who are licensed drivers.

Introduced in January, the bill moved out of the House Transportation Committee by a unanimous vote in April. It passed the House with bipartisan support Tuesday, 178-23, and it heads to the state Senate for consideration.