Avella Calls for Reduced Driver's License Renewal Fees for Seniors

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, has introduced a bill that would provide a 10 percent discount to senior citizens for driver’s license renewal fees.

The senator said the borough’s elderly residents, many of whom live on fixed incomes, have incurred a number of financial burdens during the past three years as a result of increased property taxes, healthcare and medication costs and rising prices for heating and transportation.

“In today’s difficult economic climate, our seniors need all the help they can get,” Avella said. “While this discount may not save each individual senior citizen large sums of money, it will be a grand gesture of support and respect that will certainly lessen their financial burdens.”

The discount would be available for seniors at least 65 years of age.

“Given the state of the economy and performance of the stock market since 2008, many senior citizens have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars they had saved for their retirement and are forced with the prospect of losing their homes in order to survive,” the senator said. “Relieving the pressure of having to pay the increasing fee for a driver’s license is the least we in Albany can do to reduce the amount of their every day pressures.”

In New York State, driver’s license renewals are valid for eight years and can cost anywhere from $64.25 to $105, depending on the age of the driver, according to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

Seniors who are ages 62 or older or receive Supplemental Security Income are eligible for renewal at a reduced fee of $6.50.