Associated Press: Inslee OKs bill curbing debt-based license suspensions
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday approved a measure aimed at preventing tens of thousands of people a year from having their driver’s licenses suspended for failure to pay fines.
An estimated 46,000 people have their licenses suspended annually because they fail to pay court-imposed fines for noncriminal moving violations as minor as neglecting to use a turn signal. And, once their license is suspended, they can be subject to criminal prosecution if they’re caught driving again.
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“For years, Washingtonians have lost a critical lifeline to jobs merely for being too poor to pay minor traffic fines and fees,” Carl Filler, an analyst with the Justice Action Network, a nonprofit aimed at making the justice system fairer, said in a written statement Monday. “This has pushed families further into debt and negatively impacted their ability to pay the original fines and fees.”