With the amount of unpaid tolls on the state turnpike climbing, a state representative is proposing not allowing drivers who owe the state tolls to register their vehicles.

Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, is looking for co-sponsors for legislation he is drafting that would require drivers to pay their outstanding tolls and late fees before re-registering their vehicle.

The amount of uncollected tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike grew by nearly 50% last year, and a new government audit is urging the Turnpike Commission to address the problem and make changes to improve its finances, according to a recent Associated Press report. Following up on an internal study that said more than $104 million in tolls went uncollected last year, an update in May found the amount had grown to $155 million. Nearly $1.5 billion in tolls was paid or expected to be paid during the one-year period from April 2021 to March of this year.

Losses had been anticipated after the turnpike converted to all-cash collections in 2020, laying off hundreds of toll collectors and auditors. Many vehicles have E-ZPass, a device that collects toll information and charges drivers. Although turnpike cameras read license plates of vehicles without E-ZPass and send bills to their owners, there are problems with obscured or faded plates, camera system failures and getting money from scofflaw drivers.

Flynn said one of the main pieces of the state’s vehicle registration process is to confirm a driver’s legal address. He wants to require the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to share information on uncollected tolls and unbillable tolls, along with late fees, with PennDOT, which would then place a hold on a vehicle’s registration until the money owed is paid.

Flynn’s proposal is similar to an Ohio law noted in the recent turnpike audit. Ohio prevents owners from registering or transferring a vehicle’s title without paying off their delinquent tolls. If lawmakers make such a change in Pennsylvania, the audit said, it “should assist in increasing the commission’s collection of outstanding tolls and potentially deter motorists from becoming toll violators.”

“The amount of uncollected and unbillable tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike continues to be a black eye for the operational integrity of the system. Building upon my previous legislative efforts regarding this issue, I intend to introduce legislation requiring that any and all outstanding tolls, along with late fees, be paid by an individual in order to register a vehicle,” Flynn wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum.

House Bill 2021 passed the House unanimously in May and is pending before the state Senate would allow the turnpike to have PennDOT issue a suspension for at least $250 in unpaid tolls, down from a $500 minimum under current law, according to the AP. The turnpike, which supports the bill, believes that would add more than 23,000 suspensions in Pennsylvania.

Flynn said his bill is another tool for the state to use to collect unpaid tolls.

“The goal of this legislation is simple: provide another mechanism by which to collect unpaid tolls from individuals that travel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike,” Flynn wrote. “This is a $155 million problem. I believe that this legislation provides yet another tool to address this problem, alongside prior efforts with respect to reporting, collections, and enforcement.”

At the same time, Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Bethlehem, is circulating a co-sponsorship memo for legislation she is drafting that would garnish lottery winnings and state tax refunds for those with unpaid tolls.

“Unfortunately, the law-abiding turnpike users are being punished by this loss in toll revenue, with continued toll increases year after year. It is imperative we step up enforcement and give the turnpike tools to go after these repeated offenders,” Boscola wrote.