Justice Action Network Thanks Gov. Hutchinson For Signing Bipartisan Legislation to End Driver's License Suspensions for Failure to Pay Fines and Fees
Senate Bill 513 Will Allow Arkansans to Keep Their Licenses as They Pay Off Court Fines and Fees
(Little Rock, AR) – Today, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 513 into law, eliminating failure to pay fines and fees as a cause for driver’s license suspensions in non-criminal traffic infractions. The bill, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate, also gives people with suspended licenses access to a restricted driver’s license to allow them to travel to work and school. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Alan Clark (R-13) and Representative Austin McCollum (R-95), and co-sponsored by Representative Andrew Collins (D-35), Senator Clarke Tucker (D-32), Senator Trent Garner (R-27), and Senator Ben Gilmore (R-26). In response to today’s bill signing, the Justice Action Network, the country’s largest bipartisan organization working on criminal justice reform at the state and federal level, issued the following statement:
“For years, Arkansans have lost a critical lifeline to jobs merely for being too poor to pay a minor traffic fine and fee. Rather than incentivizing compliance with court payments, it has pushed families further into debt and negatively impacted their ability to pay the original fines and fees,” said Carl Filler, State Policy Analyst for the Justice Action Network. “This bipartisan legislation, which passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate, will put an end to this practice and eliminate ‘failure to pay’ as the sole cause for driver’s license suspension.
“We thank Governor Hutchinson for signing this critical piece of legislation and helping hardworking Arkansans keep their jobs and support their families. We are grateful to Senator Clark and Representative McCollum for championing this bill in the legislature,” continued Filler.
SB 513 will:
Eliminate failure to pay fines and fees as cause for driver’s license suspension in non-criminal traffic infractions;
Only allow suspensions for failure to appear at hearings expressly held to address nonpayment; and
Expand access for those with suspended licenses through the creation of a new restricted license.