Secretary Benson visits Flint clinic to help residents restore driver's licenses
Today, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited a Road to Restoration clinic in Flint hosted by the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), Department of Attorney General, St. John Christian Church, and community partners to help Michiganders get back on the road after new state laws lifted driver’s license suspensions for hundreds of thousands of residents.
“We are making government work for the people of Michigan by meeting people where they are and providing direct, efficient, and accessible service,” said Benson. “Michigan law requires us to update the driving records of the people it impacted, but we knew that to be effective required us to be proactive. So we mailed a letter to every impacted Michigander, posted it to their online account, and started bringing free legal services to communities across the state. We are grateful to community partners working with us to help Flint residents restore their licenses so they can drive to work, pick their kids up from school, and more fully participate in their communities.”
“Today’s event helped meet a great need in our community and I know how important it is for our families, friends, and neighbors to have the opportunity to meet with someone one-on-one who can walk them through the necessary steps to regain their driver’s license,” said Tomara Nolen, first lady at St. John Christian Church. “It is gratifying to see state government partner with business and charitable organizations to serve people where they live and work and we are pleased to have been able to share our space and our ministry to help so many Flint residents today.”
On Oct. 1, 2021, new state laws lifted license suspensions for drivers who failed to pay tickets or court fines or failed to appear in court for certain non-moving and other violations. In the months following, MDOS canceled infractions on the driving records of more than 350,000 Michiganders. However, many individuals must take additional measures before their licenses are restored. MDOS mailed letters to all residents affected by the law change, explaining their current status and outlining additional action they must take before they can resume driving.
The Road to Restoration clinics, staffed by MDOS, the Department of the Attorney General, and volunteer attorneys, help residents determine how they can restore their licenses and, in some cases, provide the services they need to do so on site. They are made possible by numerous partner organizations including DTE Energy, Miller Canfield Law Firm, Dykema, Bodeman, and United Way, as well as location partners who provide the space for the clinics.
Clinics have previously been conducted in Dearborn, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Muskegon, Ypsilanti and Pontiac.
Residents and community organizations can find more information at Michigan.gov/SOSCleanSlate.
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