The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to a bill designed to help low-income drivers with suspended drivers' licenses get them back.
Several Vermont counties in recent years have held driver amnesty days, offering suspended drivers a chance to get their fines reduced.
The bill that won approval in the House Tuesday by voice vote offers a statewide, one-time period extending from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.
Once the bill has received final approval, it will be considered by the Senate.
Democratic Senator Richard Sears, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he'd prefer to leave the issue to individual county state's attorneys.
House Speaker Shap Smith says the policy strikes a balance between legitimate suspensions and what he calls "old, archaic laws that no longer serve the public safety."
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