Lawmakers: Law should be changed to make sure permanent license suspension is forever

Two state senators from central Maine say they will introduce legislation to eliminate a section of state law that allows someone whose license is permanently revoked to reapply for a driver’s license 10 years after release from prison.

The proposal comes on the heels of a ruling in Kennebec County Superior Court this month that allows a former Skowhegan man convicted in a drunken driving, triple fatal crash in 1996 to reapply for his license, even though his license had been ordered suspended for life. The court ruling highlighted an apparent contradiction in state law that on the one hand allows a license to be revoked “permanently,” yet also outlines an appeals process for getting a license back.

Sen. Scott W. Cyrway, R-District 16, and Rep. Thomas R. W. Longstaff, D-Waterville, both members of the Joint Standing Committee Criminal Justice and Public Safety, said in separate interviews that they want to take out the language in state law that allows a person to petition for license reinstatement.

“This is upsetting to me to think that ‘permanently’ does not mean permanent,” Cyrway said. “I am sorry, but in the dictionary it has a meaning — forever — no change. This may have to be changed to ‘permanent with no chance for appeal.'”

Read more: http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/05/28/state-senators-law-should-be-changed-to-make-sure-permanent-license-suspension-is-forever/