UPDATE: Sen. Laughlin’s office issued the following release on Wednesday:
Laughlin to Introduce “Ban the Boot” Legislation
Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) is preparing to introduce legislation that would bar parking authorities from using vehicle restraint devices, commonly known as “boots.”
“I’ve lived in and around a city my entire life and one thing that bothers me is giving the parking authorities the ability to put a boot on a vehicle,” said Senator Laughlin. “I don’t believe it is in the best interest of our citizens to allow an authority to hold their private property hostage without due process in court.”
Currently, most Pennsylvania parking authorities use the devices on vehicles with unpaid parking tickets or red-light camera violations. Owners must pay the tickets and added fees to have the boot removed.
“I’ve seen fines in excess of $1500 to remove the boot and that simply needs to stop,” said Senator Laughlin. “How can we continue to punish people to that extreme for parking on a street that they have already paid for with their hard-earned tax dollars? Not only that, but this effects our under-privileged population exponentially. Surely our local and state legislators can work together to find a path for people to pay off their fines without taking away their means to get to work, school or the grocery store.
ORIGINAL STORY:
PA Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), wants to outlaw the use of vehicle immobilization devices, also known as “boots” in the Commonwealth as a consequence of unpaid parking tickets.
In an interview with TalkErie.com’s Joel Natalie, Laughlin railed against the recent increase in fines for metered and non-metered parking violations in Erie City. “I consider it to be a war on poor people in the City of Erie, and it’s a war on our downtown businesses.”
Laughlin plans to introduce legislation in the State Senate to “Ban the Boot,” in Pennsylvania.
