FRANKFORT— Rep. Jerry Miller received a disabled parking placard after a knee replacement last fall.
House Bill 81 sponsor Rep. Jerry Miller, R-Louisville, presenting the bill before the panel.
The Louisville lawmaker said he only expected to use the placard for a few months, but received one that is good for two years with the expiration date written on the placard in so-called permanent ink.
“All you have to do is Google ‘how to remove Sharpie’ which, of course, is with a dry-erase, and you can change that expiration date to anything you want,” Miller, R-Louisville, told the House Transportation Committee today.
Easy access to the placards—either by altering an existing one or receiving an extra placard free of charge from the state – would change under Miller’s House Bill 81.
The bill, approved on Tuesday by the committee, would limit applicants to one free placard, with each placard featuring a decal unique to the permit holder instead of numbers written in ink. Duplicate or replacement permanent or temporary placards would cost $10 each. Changes to the renewal process and cycle are also in the proposal.
Miller said the legislation was precipitated by a 2008 court case that led to the removal of fees on all disabled parking placards issued in the state. The number of placards issued has grown from around 32,600 to well over 298,000 since the fees were removed, said Miller.
“That, coupled with my experience of trying to find a handicap parking spot many days, led me to the conclusion that this is a bill whose time has come,” he said.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official Rick Taylor told the committee that providing the placards at no charge costs the state Road Fund around $102,000 a year.
Disabled parking permit holder David Ledford joined Miller and Taylor to speak in favor of HB 81. Ledford said the legislation addresses a “serious problem for those of us who rely on accessible parking spots.”
Ledford said improper use of placards by others affects individuals like him who need accessible parking to accommodate his van’s side-loading ramp.
“It’s really preventative a lot of times when every parking spot you attempt to find is always full. That’s a major hindrance,” he told the panel.
HB 81 now goes to the full House for its consideration.
