January 31, 2017

Rep. Zupkus Advocates for Common Sense Legislation During Transportation Public Hearing

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HARTFORD- State Representative Lezlye Zupkus testified before the legislature’s Transportation Committee on Monday in support of two pieces of legislation, she has introduced this session, aimed at helping individuals with disabilities, and at reducing unnecessary work for police officers.

Rep. Zupkus spoke passionately on, H.B. 5183, An Act Concerning the Number of Removable Windshield Placards that May Be Issued to Persons Who Are Blind and Persons with Disabilities.

Currently, The Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner may not issue more than one placard per applicant and must keep a record of each placard he/she issues. This bill would amend subsection (b) of section 14-253a of the general statutes on the issuance of removable windshield placard so that the Commissioner can issue two removable windshield placards to an applicant who owns two motor vehicles.

“For many people that own more than one vehicle, the limitation of owning only one placard can be a huge inconvenience,” said Rep. Zupkus. “They are forced to constantly move their placard back and forth between these vehicles which can result in the placard being forgotten and left behind in the other car. This can be a big problem, especially in the case of an emergency, where our blind/disabled peers are left having to forgo their activity simply because of the inconvenience of being limited to one placard. We cannot let those that need these cards suffer because others are abusing it.”

Rep. Zupkus, with the support of law enforcement officers, asked the committee to consider passing H.B. 5170, An Act Concerning the Length of Reports of Motor Vehicle Accidents. This bill seeks to reduce the motor vehicle accident reports by police to 2 pages.

“I believe this bill cuts unneeded regulations placed on police officers throughout the state,” added Rep. Zupkus. “If police officers are able to spend less time with paperwork, they will have more time on our roads for public safety.”

In January 2015, DOT replaced the two-page crash data form with a new federal form which is approximately twelve pages long.

The bills now await action by the Transportation Committee. To track legislation, please visit the General Assembly’s website, www.cga.ct.gov.

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