Maryland House Bill 1267: Prohibits driver’s license suspension for people on payment plans.
Maryland HB 1267 allows individuals who owe fines and fees to enter into a payment plan to avoid driver’s license suspension for nonpayment.
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Tennessee HB 0839: Prevents suspension of a driver license for failure to pay […] if person is indigent or enters into payment plan.
This legislation requires Tennessee courts to conduct an ability to pay hearing before suspending a driver’s license for failure to pay fines and fees.
Florida SB 734: Penalties and fees; driver’s license suspensions
The bill provides that driver’s licenses may not be suspended for failure to pay fines and fees unless the person has the ability to pay but refuses to do so. It also provides that courts must provide alternatives to immediate payment of fines and fees for people who are indigent, such as payment plans and community service.
Maryland Senate Bill 823: Juvenile Proceedings – Fines, Fees, and Costs.
Maryland SB 823 would eliminate juvenile justice system fines and fees. Specifically, the bill would eliminate court fees and support costs for the detention and/or treatment of youth, and abolish fines imposed on youth and their families.
Maryland House Bill 566: Waives pretrial home detention fees for indigent defendants.
Maryland HB 566 provides that indigent defendants shall not be required to pay a home detention monitoring fee.
Personal Narrative: Kevin
Kevin lives in a rural town in Alabama and is disabled. He relies on his monthly disability check to support him and his partner. He could not afford car insurance, but he continued to drive since there are no other viable options for transportation where he lives. After he was ticketed for lack of insurance, his license was suspended and his fine only compounded the thousands of dollars in court debt he already owed.
State of Phone Justice: Local jails, state prisons and private phone providers
This policy brief from the Prison Policy Initiative provides an overview of prison and jail phone call fees and makes several recommendations to reform them.
Howard v. The City and County of Denver, Colorado
To be released from jail in Denver, a person must pay the bond and the bond fee. Payment of the bond alone is insufficient to secure the release.
Nevada Assembly Bill 110: Traffic ticket notification and bench warrants.
Nevada AB 110 makes changes to the notification process for traffic tickets and related court dates.
(Color)blind Reform: How ability-to-pay determinations are inadequate to transform a racialized system of penal debt
This law review article argues that fines and fees reformers’ emphasis on instituting ability-to-pay determinations without any reductions in racially discriminatory ticketing may cause more harm than good. In particular, the author articulates a concern that ability-to-pay determinations risk legitimizing the existing system of monetary sanctions and entrenching damages inflicted upon people deemed ‘able to pay.’