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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 1, 2023 02:18 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Lisa A. Borowski |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Fee Waivers for Victims of Domestic Violence |
| According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), one in four women and one in seven men have experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner, and more than 10 million Americans are victims of abuse every year. Financial abuse is a common tactic used by abusers to gain power and control over their victims. The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) reports that financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases. Withholding or destroying vital documents, such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, vehicle titles, and vehicle registrations all serve to isolate victims of abuse and make it more difficult for them to escape their situations. For this reason, I will be introducing legislation to waive fees associated with replacing critical state documents for victims of domestic violence and abuse who have been deprived of these documents by their abusers. Under this legislation, PennDOT and the Department of Health will waive the fees associated with providing duplicates of certain state-issued vital documents for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children. The covered state documents will include certificate of title, photo ID, non-commercial driver’s license, camera card, a vehicle registration, and birth certificates. All too often, people who manage to escape their abusive relationships have nowhere to go, with many being forced into homelessness and struggling to rebuild their independence. Please join me in providing greater financial independence to survivors of domestic abuse and reducing the number of victims who return to their abuser, threatened by fears of homelessness and poverty. |
Introduced as HB544