BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP)-A bill that will prevent commercial drivers from losing their licenses due to infractions that are more than 20 years old was unanimously endorsed by the state legislature's transportation committee on Thursday.
If this bill were to pass, commercial license holders like truck and bus drivers will no longer have their licenses stripped by the RMV due to offenses that occurred before September 30, 2005.
The bill also includes a provision that would allow drivers who have served a sufficient suspension period to regain their commercial driving privileges.
22News attended a public hearing last week, and heard from Massachusetts business owners whose employees are being affected by license losses due to decades-old charges.
One business owner spoke about being forced to lay off one of his best truck drivers after the driver lost his license due to a DUI he received as a teenager over 40 years ago.
"This just, it just can't stand, it has to be changed. They're not a danger to the public. They're not a danger to families driving in their cars. And we need to give them a way to renew their careers and their livelihoods," said Sean Bishop, owner of Ground Effects Landscaping in Carver.
The unanimous endorsement by the Joint Committee on Transportation comes several months after almost 500 Massachusetts drivers were notified by the RMV that they have lost their commercial driving privileges.
The bill is now headed for the House Ways and Means committee, and is expected to be considered by lawmakers before the end of the session on December 31.