According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), one in four women and one in seven men have experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner, and more than 10 million Americans are victims of abuse every year. Financial abuse is a common tactic used by abusers to gain power and control over their victims. The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) reports that financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases. Withholding or destroying vital documents, such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, vehicle titles, and vehicle registrations all serve to isolate victims of abuse and make it more difficult for them to escape their situations.
 
My legislation aims to assist these vulnerable individuals by waiving fees associated with replacing critical state documents for victims of domestic violence and abuse who have been deprived of these documents by their abusers. Under this legislation, PennDOT and the Department of Health would be required to waive the fees associated with providing duplicates of certain state-issued vital documents for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children.
 
All too often, people who manage to escape their abusive relationships have nowhere to go, with many being forced into homelessness and struggling to rebuild their independence. Please join me in providing greater financial independence to survivors of domestic abuse and reducing the number of victims who return to their abuser, threatened by fears of homelessness and poverty.