An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in licensing of drivers, providing for communication barrier designation; and imposing penalties.
What changed between versions
The term 'communication impairment' is replaced with 'communication impairment BARRIER' throughout the entire bill, shifting the framing from a medical condition to a barrier concept.
Language disorders are added alongside speech impediments as a qualifying condition under the definition of communication impairment BARRIER (subsection (l), item 3).
The catch-all provision for additional qualifying conditions now requires the department to consult with the Department of Health before determining that another health condition may reasonably impede communication during a traffic stop.
The regulations section changes from 'the department shall promulgate regulations' to 'the department MAY promulgate regulations,' making rulemaking permissive rather than mandatory.
A new paragraph (e)(3) allows the department to adopt an alternative identifier symbol by regulation if a national standard identifier symbol is developed by a national disability or accessibility rights organization, replacing the current stylized lowercase 'i' symbol.
The effective date is extended from 60 days after enactment to 42 months, giving the department significantly more time to implement the program.
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