Massachusetts Lawmakers, Advocates Host Briefing to Discuss Bill to End Debt-Based Driving Restrictions

May 22, 2025 — Press Release

Rep. Brandy Fluker-Reid and Sen. Julian Cyr will join advocates and Massachusetts residents directly impacted by debt-based driver’s license suspensions for a briefing to discuss the Road to Opportunity Act

BOSTON — Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid, Senator Julian Cyr, and a coalition of advocates working to end debt-based driving restrictions will host a briefing on Thursday, May 29 at 10:30am at the Massachusetts State House.

Massachusetts is in the minority of states that still suspend driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines and fees. License suspensions as a result of outstanding EZ-pass fees, parking tickets, and other infractions unrelated to road safety can devastate low-income families and needlessly entangle them in the criminal legal system. These suspensions also hamper economic growth, undermine public safety, and destabilize the lives of low-income workers and survivors of domestic violence.

The Road to Opportunity Act (S.2386/H.3662) would end debt-based driving restrictions, to the benefit of safe drivers and their families, the Massachusetts economy, and overburdened courts.

Who:

●      Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid (D-12th Suffolk)

●      Senator Julian Cyr (D-Cape and Islands)

●      Impacted constituents

●      National Consumer Law Center

●      Greater Boston Legal Services

●      Committee for Public Counsel Services

●      ACLU Massachusetts

What: State legislators, advocates, and directly impacted individuals will discuss S.2386/H.3662, An Act to increase opportunity by ending debt-based driving restrictions.

Where: Massachusetts State House, Room 428, 24 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02133

When: Thursday, May 29th at 10:30 am ET

To speak to one of the advocates or lawmakers in advance of the field hearing, please contact Stephen Rouzer ([email protected]) or [email protected].

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The Road to Opportunity Act Coalition Steering Committee is comprised of the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, LivableStreets Alliance, and the National Consumer Law Center.