WPBN: More than 350,000 people are receiving hope and debt relief through the new program from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Getting more individuals back on the road, licensed, and insured is their aim.
“I’m in the construction field, and I’m always in different areas and stuff, and not having driver’s license and having to duck and dart and stuff, not trying to get caught without them living everyday life, that’s what it kinda seemed like,” according to Gregory Wells.
Wells, who lives and works in Shreveport, is concerned about how he will commute to and from work given his mounting debt.
“I kinda was like way in a number that I thought I could never afford,” Wells stated.
This is a situation that many people in Louisiana encounter. Fees can add up rapidly, and before you know it, it can seem difficult to bring the total down to zero.
“It was really hurting the person that wanted to be insured, the person that just didn’t carry or had insurance once and wouldn’t carry it again, just drove without insurance for months or even a year,” Louisiana OMV Commissioner Dan Casey stated.
Casey made the decision to suggest a modification to the current system and requested a meeting with the staff of Governor Jeff Landry.
According to Casey, “We all agreed that we needed to do something to get people back on the road and those 350,000 or so drivers needed to come back, reset the fees to the original fees and put the caps back on so people could afford to get back on their insurance and get back their license and get insured.
Rep. Charles Owen wrote House Bill 683 with that objective in mind. Governor Landry signed the bill into law as Act 629 after it received unanimous approval. Those in a situation they once thought they couldn’t get out of are given hope again by the OMV’s new reinstatement reform program.
“We want you to have your license back, and it’s now opened back to you with your original fees with your original cap. You should be able to get in the payment program, and even if you can’t afford the payment program, we can look at your individual case and help you out in another way and possibly reduce your fees even further,” Casey stated.
Numerous people have already been significantly impacted by the program. It lowered debts from almost $34,000 to just $2,000 in one instance.
“We had people literally in tears saying they thought they would never get their license back because they couldn’t afford it and they got it back that day and it was just wonderful,” Casey stated.
Now that he has just three months remaining to pay off his debt, Wells feels exactly that sense of relief.
Enter your driver’s license details and the final four digits of your social security number here to see the status of your license or the amount you owe.
Click here to inquire about your particular circumstances or if you would need more help with your costs.
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“All fees that are more than 180 days past due and have not been resolved will be considered delinquent debt and may be referred back to the ODR,” the OMV stated on December 31, 2024. They advise everyone who still owes money to get in touch with the OMV right away.
