350,000 Michiganders with suspended drivers’ licenses are eligible to get them reinstated given new laws that went into effect in October, 2021. Many will be able to do so simply by following instructions on the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) website.
A sizable portion, however, are in need of additional support to address the complexity of fully restoring their licenses.
To best serve this group, MDOS and Michigan Department of Attorney General’s (AG) team, together with DTE Energy and Miller Canfield, rallied the necessary resources across Michigan’s government, legal, nonprofit, religious, and private sector communities to host in-person clinics across this Spring, helping more than 700 Michiganders so far.
DTE’s General Counsel JoAnn Chavez joined dozens of volunteers from the State of Michigan to help get their driving record cleared and get back on the road at a clinic in Ypsilanti in May.
“Having a license makes it so much easier for people to find high-paying jobs and pursue a career. I’m honored to help people get back on track,” said Chavez.
DTE identified licensing issues as a barrier to employment more than three years ago as the company implemented its Parnall Correctional Facility Tree Trimming training program at the prison’s Vocational Village. At that time, DTE presented its findings to the Michigan Department of State and since then, have grown its partnership and support around this issue.
“The number one factor preventing people from participating in our career programs was that they had a suspended driver’s license,” said Terrell Lockhart, manager, DTE Tree Trimming. “So we shared this with the Michigan Secretary of State to support their push for legislation that offered a pathway to license restoration.”
Additional in-person license restoration clinics are scheduled to be held in Pontiac and Flint. Find more information at Michigan.gov/SOSCleanSlate.
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