HB 1700 — An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in licensing of drivers, providing for communication barrier designation; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO.   2078

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                            HOUSE BILL
                            No. 1700
                                                   Session of
                                                     2025

     INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, PROBST, WAXMAN,
        VENKAT, RIVERA, BURGOS, SANCHEZ, GUZMAN, GALLAGHER,
        D. WILLIAMS AND BELLMON, JULY 1, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JULY 1, 2025


                                        AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in licensing of drivers, providing for
 3      communication impairment designation; and imposing penalties.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.        Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 7   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 8   § 1510.1.      Communication impairment designation.
 9      (a)   Application.--An individual with a communication
10   impairment may request a communication impairment designation
11   from the department by submitting an application, prescribed and
12   furnished by the department, that contains the following:
13            (1)    A sworn statement signed by a qualified medical
14      professional that:
15                  (i)    Identifies the individual.
16                  (ii)    Attests to the nature of the individual's
17            communication impairment.
18            (2)    Signature certification by the individual that the
 1      individual:
 2                  (i)    Voluntarily discloses the communication
 3            impairment to the department and law enforcement
 4            agencies.
 5                  (ii)   Authorizes the department to update the
 6            individual's electronic records maintained by the
 7            department to reflect that the individual has a
 8            communication impairment designation.
 9            (3)   A clearly designated space for the individual to
10      voluntarily provide and update emergency contact information
11      for the individual, along with a statement that the
12      individual understands the ability to update emergency
13      contact information through the use of the department's
14      emergency contact information system.
15            (4)   A statement that the individual understands that the
16      knowing or intentional submission of false statements of
17      material facts, or the commission or attempt to commit
18      deception or fraud, on the application provided under this
19      subsection is subject to the penalty under 18 Pa.C.S. §
20      4904(b) (relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).
21      (b)   Validation and update.--Upon receiving an application
22   under subsection (a), the department shall independently
23   validate the authenticity of the submitted application and
24   update the individual's electronic records maintained by the
25   department to reflect that the individual has a communication
26   impairment designation and any emergency contact information
27   provided by the individual on the application.
28      (c)   Removal of designation.--An individual may request at
29   any time the removal of a communication impairment designation
30   by submitting to the department an application for removal,

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 1   created and distributed by the department, which also involves
 2   the removal of information related to the communication
 3   impairment, but the individual may request the retention of
 4   emergency contact information in the individual's electronic
 5   records maintained by the department.
 6      (d)   Fees.--
 7            (1)   Subject to paragraph (2), a fee may not be imposed
 8      for the addition or removal of a communication impairment
 9      designation or emergency contact information under this
10      section.
11            (2)   An individual shall pay any fees associated with the
12      renewal or duplication of a driver's license or
13      identification card.
14      (e)   Identifier symbol.--
15            (1)   The department shall use the stylized lowercase "i"
16      commonly used by the Invisible Disabilities Association as
17      the sole identifier symbol to indicate a communication
18      impairment.
19            (2)   The identifier symbol under this subsection:
20                  (i)    Shall be consistent in design and appearance on
21            all driver's licenses and identification cards for all
22            individuals with a communication impairment.
23                  (ii)    Shall be printed in a visible and clearly
24            distinguishable location on the front of an individual's
25            driver's license or identification card.
26                  (iii)    Shall not imply or disclose any specific
27            health conditions or details related to an individual's
28            communication impairment.
29      (f)   Record sharing.--
30            (1)   The department shall provide record sharing with law

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 1    enforcement agencies in this Commonwealth through existing
 2    networks that can be made accessible during a traffic stop,
 3    including the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance
 4    Network.
 5           (2)   The following information may be shared under this
 6    subsection:
 7                 (i)    An individual's communication impairment
 8           designation, excluding any specific medical condition or
 9           details related to the individual's communication
10           impairment.
11                 (ii)    An individual's emergency contact information.
12           (3)   The records maintained and shared by the department
13    under this subsection shall not constitute a public record
14    and shall be exempt from public access under the act of
15    February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know
16    Law.
17    (g)    Denial, cancellation or revocation.--
18           (1)   The department may deny, cancel or revoke a
19    communication impairment designation if the department
20    determines:
21                 (i)    the designation was fraudulently or deceptively
22           obtained; or
23                 (ii)    an individual used the designation to
24           intentionally and knowingly avoid compliance with a
25           lawful order given by a law enforcement officer.
26           (2)   Following a determination under paragraph (1), the
27    department shall provide the individual with a written notice
28    that includes:
29                 (i)    The reason for the denial, cancellation or
30           revocation.

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 1                (ii)   Instructions on how to contest the denial,
 2          cancellation or revocation through a request for an
 3          informal hearing with the department not later than 30
 4          days after the date of the notice.
 5          (3)   If a timely request is made under paragraph (2), an
 6    informal hearing shall be held within 30 days of the request.
 7          (4)   If, as a result of the informal hearing under
 8    paragraph (3), the department determines that the denial,
 9    cancellation or revocation was proper, the individual may
10    appeal the informal departmental determination by requesting,
11    not later than 30 days after the date of the determination, a
12    formal hearing as prescribed by departmental regulations.
13    (h)   Criminal penalties.--
14          (1)   An individual who knowingly or intentionally submits
15    false statements of material facts, or commits or attempts to
16    commit deception or fraud, on the application provided under
17    subsection (a) shall be subject to the penalty under 18
18    Pa.C.S. § 4904(b).
19          (2)   If the department determines under subsection (g)
20    that an individual falsely claimed a communication impairment
21    to avoid compliance with a lawful order, the individual shall
22    be subject to the penalty under 18 Pa.C.S. § 5101 (relating
23    to obstructing administration of law or other governmental
24    function).
25    (i)   Appeals.--
26          (1)   An individual may appeal an action taken by the
27    department under this section in accordance with 2 Pa.C.S.
28    Chs. 5 Subch. A (relating to practice and procedure of
29    Commonwealth agencies) and 7 Subch. A (relating to judicial
30    review of Commonwealth agency action).

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 1            (2)   The judicial review under this subsection shall:
 2                  (i)    Include a review of the facts of the case and a
 3            hearing of any testimony.
 4                  (ii)    Be limited to a determination of whether the
 5            communication impairment designation should be reinstated
 6            by the department.
 7      (j)   Qualified medical professional.--If a qualified medical
 8   professional knowingly or intentionally falsifies or
 9   misrepresents information, engages in deception or fraud or
10   certifies a written false statement regarding an individual's
11   communication impairment on the application provided under
12   subsection (a):
13            (1)   The qualified medical professional shall be subject
14      to the penalty under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904(b).
15            (2)   The respective licensing board of the qualified
16      medical professional may revoke or suspend the license of the
17      qualified medical professional or take other disciplinary or
18      corrective actions as permitted by law, including
19      disciplinary or corrective actions under the following, as
20      applicable:
21                  (i)    The act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), known
22            as The Professional Nursing Law.
23                  (ii)    The act of October 5, 1978 (P.L.1109, No.261),
24            known as the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act.
25                  (iii)    The act of March 23, 1972 (P.L.136, No.52),
26            known as the Professional Psychologists Practice Act.
27                  (iv)    The act of December 21, 1984 (P.L.1253,
28            No.238), known as the Speech-Language Pathologists and
29            Audiologists Licensure Act.
30                  (v)    The act of December 20, 1985 (P.L.457, No.112),

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 1            known as the Medical Practice Act of 1985.
 2      (k)   Regulations.--The department shall promulgate
 3   regulations necessary to implement, administer and enforce this
 4   subsection.
 5      (l)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 6   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 7   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 8      "Communication impairment."     A health condition of an
 9   individual that may impede communication between the individual
10   and a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop, including:
11            (1)   Deafness or being hard of hearing.
12            (2)   An autism spectrum disorder.
13            (3)   A diagnosed speech impediment.
14            (4)   Any other condition that the department determines
15      may reasonably impede an individual's ability to communicate
16      with a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop.
17      "Communication impairment designation."      An identifier symbol
18   that represents a communication impairment of an individual and
19   that:
20            (1)   Is printed on the front of the individual's driver's
21      license or identification card issued by the Commonwealth.
22            (2)   Becomes part of the individual's electronic records
23      that are maintained by the department.
24      "Emergency contact information."     The name, telephone number,
25   address or other relevant information of an individual that is
26   used for the sole purpose of contacting the individual in the
27   event of an emergency involving another individual.
28      "Qualified medical professional."     As follows:
29            (1)   As the term "physician" is defined under 1 Pa.C.S. §
30      1991 (relating to definitions).

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1         (2)   The term includes a qualified physician assistant,
2     certified registered nurse practitioner, psychologist,
3     speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is licensed to
4     practice in this Commonwealth and who is acting within the
5     qualified medical professional's scope of practice regarding
6     an individual's communication impairment.
7     Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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