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SB 63

An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in driving after imbibing alcohol or utilizing drugs, further providing for definitions, for driving under influence of alcohol or controlled substance and for authorized use not a defense.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Camera Bartolotta and 7 co-sponsors

Creates a nine-member Board of Motor Vehicles to oversee the DMV and orders a study to establish a successor Motor Vehicle Authority, due Jan 1, 2026.

Referred to Transportation
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 63

SB 63 — Board of Motor Vehicles / Motor Vehicle Authority Study (summary)

Note: this summary is based on the bill text included with your request. Check the legislature’s website for the bill’s current status and any later amendments.

Main purpose / intent

SB 63 (Connecticut / North Carolina–style draft in the packet) creates a new governance structure — a statutory Board of Motor Vehicles — to oversee the state Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The bill also requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), working with key partners, to study and prepare an implementation plan for creating an independent Motor Vehicle Authority as a possible successor agency to the DMV.

The stated intent is to change how the DMV is governed and to evaluate whether a quasi‑independent authority would be a better institutional model for delivering motor vehicle services.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a Board of Motor Vehicles (G.S. 20‑2.1):

    • Nine voting members total:
    • Secretary of Transportation (or designee)
    • Secretary of the Department of Information Technology (or designee)
    • Commander of the State Highway Patrol (or designee)
    • Two Governor appointees
    • Two members appointed by the General Assembly on recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
    • Two members appointed by the General Assembly on recommendation of the Speaker of the House
    • Staggered initial terms, thereafter four‑year terms for appointed members.
    • Board duties: appoint the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and oversee organization and administration of the Division of Motor Vehicles; adopt rules; meet at least quarterly.
    • Administrative support provided by the DOT; board members receive per diem and travel reimbursement under existing statute.

  • Changes to DMV organization statute to recognize the Board role (amends G.S. 20‑2 and 20‑3 as appropriate in the text).

  • Motor Vehicle Authority study (Part II):

    • DOT, in consultation with Department of Information Technology and the State Highway Patrol, must study the feasibility and prepare an implementation plan for creating a Motor Vehicle Authority as a successor to the DMV.
    • Minimum features for the proposed Authority (study must consider): a nine‑member board (5 legislature appointees; 4 gubernatorial appointees), ability to appoint officers (chair, vice‑chair, secretary, treasurer), authority to hire and set the Commissioner’s salary and to remove the Commissioner.
    • Study must include legal/statutory changes needed, an estimated timeline to create a successor Authority, steps needed for transition, and other relevant issues.
    • Report due to the General Assembly, Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee chairs, and Fiscal Research Division by January 1, 2026.

Who is affected

  • Current and future governance of the DMV (DOT, DMV Commissioner and staff).
  • Executive and legislative appointing authorities (Governor; General Assembly leadership).
  • Statewide partners (Department of Information Technology; State Highway Patrol).
  • Potential downstream impacts for vendors, county offices, and customers if institutional changes are implemented.

Procedural / timeline aspects

  • Board creation provisions in the bill take effect July 1, 2025 (per the draft). The rest of the bill is effective on enactment.
  • DOT must deliver the Motor Vehicle Authority implementation study and recommendations by January 1, 2026.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Governance: moves decision‑making power for the DMV from an executive‑appointed Commissioner (subject to Secretary oversight) toward a multi‑member board model, altering oversight, accountability, and appointment/removal authority.
  • Operational and fiscal: creation of a board and study impose administrative costs; adopting a new Authority later would require substantive statutory, budgetary, and operational transitions (staffing, procurement, IT, labor/HR, contracts).
  • Policy and oversight: legislative appointments to an Authority board could increase legislative influence over DMV policy (fees, service levels, rulemaking) and raise questions about long‑term accountability, procurement, and budget control.

If you want, I can:
- Extract the exact statutory language changes proposed by the bill (side‑by‑side),
- Draft a one‑page memo on likely budgetary implications,
- Track the bill’s status and amendments and produce an updated summary.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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