HOUSE MEMORIAL 67

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Sheryl Williams Stapleton

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE MOTOR VEHICLE DIVISION OF THE TAXATION AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO RESEARCH AND REFINE BEST PRACTICES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES CONCERNING THE ISSUANCE AND DENIAL OF NEW MEXICO DRIVER'S LICENSES AND STATE IDENTIFICATION CARDS TO OLDER ADULTS.

     WHEREAS, by 2030, more than sixty million older adults could be driving on the nation's roadways; and

     WHEREAS, states have laws that restrict driver's licenses for seniors or impose extra requirements, such as vision or road tests, for getting a license renewed based solely on advancing age; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico drivers age seventy-five and older are generally required to renew their licenses at a local office of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department; and

     WHEREAS, in addition to taking a basic vision test every year, senior drivers may be asked to take a written knowledge test and a road test as well; and

     WHEREAS, drivers with medical conditions that might interfere with driving, such as diabetes, heart ailments, stroke or other conditions, must keep the motor vehicle division updated on their medical status through reports signed by their doctors; and

     WHEREAS, the failure of a vision test or a negative letter from a doctor may, and normally does, deny the issuance of a New Mexico driver's license; and

     WHEREAS, family decisions about a senior driver's ability to drive, traffic citations and a questionable mental health diagnosis may also affect denial of a driver's license; and

     WHEREAS, any denial forces a senior to present a passport or birth certificate for traveling and other purposes; and

     WHEREAS, acquiring a birth certificate or passport may, in some circumstances, present financial and logistical hardship; and

     WHEREAS, under the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, New Mexico changed the documentation requirements for issuing driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards, and providing documentation may be problematic; and

     WHEREAS, older drivers are generally considered safe drivers, and more programs exist to improve their driving skills; and

     WHEREAS, a recent Pew charitable trust report states that recent studies have shown that many of the restrictions against older drivers are not as effective as once thought in preventing traffic fatalities; and

     WHEREAS, age-based restrictions on drivers may discriminate against healthy seniors who reflect the changing way that society defines "old";

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department be requested to convene a working group to research and refine best practices, policies and procedures concerning the issuance and denial of New Mexico driver's licenses and state identification cards to older adults; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group review existing laws, practices, policies and procedures in other states and countries and compare them to New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to review New Mexico laws, practices, policies and procedures for possible discrimination toward older drivers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department invite representatives of the aging and long-term services department, the department of health, the department of transportation, the human services department, the department of public safety, gerontology specialists, AARP New Mexico, the American civil liberties union of New Mexico and members of the disabled and senior populations that utilize state and municipal ride services to participate in the working group; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group present its findings and conclusions to the appropriate interim legislative committee by October 1, 2019; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department, the secretary of transportation, the secretary of human services, the secretary of public safety, the director of AARP New Mexico and the president of the American civil liberties union of New Mexico.

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