A state lawmaker wants to update the state’s driver’s education laws.

State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, recently introduced an eight-bill package of legislation to update various provisions of Pennsylvania’s transportation laws, including a proposal to create a working group to collect input from stakeholders to update driver’s education laws before drafting a bill with recommended changes.

Flynn is also drafting separate pieces of legislation to direct PennDOT to develop and make available digital license plates and digital driver’s licenses and other forms of identification. Several states have already adopted digital driver’s licenses, including Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Utah, though only Maryland also offers digital driver’s licenses and other forms of ID in Apple and Google Wallets.

“For far too long, this legislature has allowed too many low hanging fruits to go unpicked, while the electorate and infrastructure have no choice but to be subjects to its shortcomings,” Flynn wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “Accordingly, I intend to introduce the following bills as part of a comprehensive transportation bill package. The “Driving PA Forward” package collects some of the lowest hanging fruits and ones that are most likely to result in positive and direct change to our constituents.”

Flynn also wants to amend Title 75 to require impairment be evident by a vehicle operator in order for a cannabis-related DUI charge to be pursued while also adding a $5 fee to DUI convictions. That money would be funneled to the Pennsylvania State Police and used to develop a drug recognition expert training program.

Another piece of legislation would allow the sale of vehicles on a Sunday while Flynn also proposes changes to the state’s antique and classic car registration process. The legislator wants to require the yearly collection of mileage data for vehicles registered as antique or classic, require the person registering an antique or classic vehicle also have an every day driving vehicle actively registered through PennDOT and create a penalty for those found to be driving a classic or antique vehicle more than permitted under Title 75.

The final two areas of Flynn’s package of bills deal with airplanes. Flynn proposes increasing the jet fuels tax from 2 cents a gallon to 4 cents a gallon and the Avgas tax from 6 cents a gallon to 12 cents a gallon. Those actions were recommended by the state Transportation Commsision in December 2022. Flynn also wants to develop a fee schedule for an annual aircraft registration fee.

“To put the age of many of our laws, and our subsequent need for modernization, into perspective, consider that the current driver education law pre-dates the Vietnam War and man had not yet stepped foot on the moon the last time a passenger vehicle was sold on a Sunday,” Flynn wrote. “No longer are digital driver’s licenses and digital license plates something out of a futuristic dream. Solutions to problems in the 1950s and 1960s are different than solutions to issues that we face today and tomorrow. The reality is that the future is here, and the time and need to modernize is now. The bills contained in this package will position Pennsylvania to take a giant leap towards modernization and the 21st century.”