It is laudable that the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee has approved bills aimed at avoiding another uncollected-tolls debacle like the one that has cost the Pennsylvania Turnpike $104 million since the toll road converted to all-electronic tolling.

One bill — Senate Bill 1053 — would allow expansion of the ways motorists would be able to pay tolls electronically.

A second bill — Senate Bill 1051 — would require the commission to provide an annual report to the Legislature dealing with uncollected toll revenue, the goal being to avoid unpleasant surprises like the disclosures surrounding the $104 million in question.

Unfortunately, those two approvals handed down by the Senate committee on Feb. 7 seem to be missing a necessary tougher provision. Fortunately, there appears to be time to rectify the omission, if the Legislature and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are committed to that end.

Both entities need to make their intentions known to Pennsylvania’s traveling public and explain the reasoning behind their respective stances.

Failure to do so due to some flimsy excuse, such as the volume of work that would be involved, would be unacceptable.

The necessary tough provision revolves around the need to collect a large percentage of the $104 million to which the Turnpike was — and is — entitled.

There no doubt are a number of aggressive ways to accomplish that mission, but one that has not been given much, if any, thought or acknowledgment, although it has been used in other situations, needs consideration regarding the Turnpike’s problem.

That is necessary, even if it only is a limited component of a much larger — and broader — scale “recoup mission.”

That method for getting the attention of toll scofflaws — not only those with the biggest unpaid bills but others as well — would be to start publishing their names, addresses and the amounts they owe the Turnpike in legal advertisements in some newspapers of general circulation in their respective states.

It would be a process that would cost only a small fraction of the currently “missing” money that now cannot be used for worthwhile toll road upgrades.

Counties make use of such a publication process regarding unpaid property taxes and the prospect of selling tax-delinquent properties at sheriff’s sales. Ascertain the legality of “going after” the toll scofflaws in that way.

While the Turnpike effort would not involve confiscation of any vehicles, many scofflaws, facing the prospect of having their failure to pay their toll bill or bills become public, might opt to settle their Turnpike debt and, thus, avoid embarrassment of having others — including possibly banks and credit card companies — know that they can’t always be trusted to pay off indebtedness responsibly.

For Pennsylvania and the Turnpike, such an effort could start small and then grow as publicity about the beefed-up effort spread across Pennsylvania and states beyond.

About 11 million toll scofflaws are responsible for the $104 million in uncollected revenue, the Turnpike Commission has reported.

That scofflaw number could be indicative of widespread belief among motorists that Pennsylvania is a toothless victim regarding non-payment.

Now that the uncollected-tolls debacle is crystal clear and before the public, adequately beefed-up collection measures should not be “kicked down the road.”