[April 20, 2020] | Everyone's lives have been turned on end; I have used this space to answer some of the questions I have been getting here at home. Please don't hesitate to call me at the house; I am glad to help you.
I know there is a lot of talk amongst all of us about relaxing some of the emergency steps Governor Kemp has taken to keep this virus from overwhelming our hospitals. Governor Kemp put together a group a few weeks ago to help him decide what to do. He has a broad group, and each week on our conference call with him, we talk about it and let him know what our folks are saying. President Trump put out detailed guidelines for the states to use. They are very detailed. I know the governor will use them and begin bringing back the rest of the economy. He needs our prayers, as this is a mighty important decision.
I had a few questions about driver's licenses during the week, so I did a bit of research, and here?s the important parts for you to know.
Beginning April 1, 2020, DDS began providing in-person services to commercial drivers only, by appointment. Commercial drivers should visit the DDS website to schedule an appointment before visiting a service center. All other drivers are being directed to the DDS website or DDS 2 GO Mobile App for service.
If your driver?s license, ID, or permit expires between March 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020, a 120-day extension will be granted. No action is required by the license holder. The extension will be mailed to the address on file with DDS automatically, free of charge. Currently, 238,546 Georgians have received or will receive the extension.
If you are a driver who is new to the State of Georgia, you should retain the license from the state where it was issued until in-person services are reinstated.
If a driver is flying with an expired license or ID, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will continue to accept expired licenses or IDs throughout the duration of the health emergency, as long as the license or ID expired on or after March 1, 2020.
Failure to Appear (FTA) license suspensions will be delayed an additional 60 days to account for court closures. DUI license suspensions will be delayed an additional 90 days as well.
Reporting requirements for drivers with ignition interlock devices have been extended from every 30 days to every 60 days. https://dds.georgia.gov/covid-19-emergency-services.
Our small businesses have been making our bankers work overtime in the last few weeks. After a bit of a slow start on the federal level due to sheer enormity, huge amounts of dollars have been distributed in America. There are a number of parts to the CARES Act (that Congress passed), and tonight as I was typing this, it looks like Congress will be putting more money into the SBA programs which so many of you have taken part in and were not able to take advantage of.
When I was talking to Senator Loeffler this week about the needs of Murray county, I brought up the SBA issue, and she listened very intently. I hope by the time you read this, Congress will have passed the additional funds.
We all continue to pray for our friends and neighbors in Murray County in the week after the deadly tornado. If you can, the Salvation Army and Red Cross are accepting donations for Murray County and their relief efforts.
Folks aren?t afraid to call me with their questions, and we are glad to help. My assistant, Lisa Fountain, is working from home and helping folks in our area, too. Please call me at 770-893-2039 or 404-656-7153, or go to my website rickjasperse.org and click on ?Ask Rick.?
