Payment Plans Archives - Page 4 of 11 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Driving Toward Justice: How ending driver’s license suspensions for unpaid traffic tickets helps communities without impacting court collections

This brief describes reforms that were implemented after the San Francisco Superior Court’s decision to eliminate debt-based driver’s license suspensions.

West Virginia House Bill 4958: Eliminating driver’s license suspension for failure to pay court fines and costs

This bill ends driver's license suspensions for unpaid fines and fees in West Virginia, and requires courts to develop uniform payment plans.

Virginia SB1: Driver’s license; suspension for nonpayment of fines or costs.

This bill ends driver’s license suspensions for unpaid fines and fees in Virginia and requires the Virginia DMV to reinstate suspended licenses.

Personal Narrative: Eric

Eric Snyder has had his license suspended since 2011 because of unpaid fines and fees. Without a license, he can't get a job to pay off this debt nor can he get on a payment plan.

Maryland Senate Bill 234: Vehicle Laws – Suspension of Driver’s License or Registration – Unpaid Citations or Judgements

This bill repeals the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s authority to suspend a driver’s license and vehicle registration for unpaid traffic fines. The bill does not end driver’s license suspensions for unpaid criminal fines.

Florida SB 1328/HB 903: Fines and Fees [Driver’s license suspension]

This bill would end driver's license suspensions for unpaid fines and fees in Florida and allow people who owe fines and fees to make reasonable installment payments.

Personal Narrative: Valencia

After three years of having her driver's license suspended, Valencia, a Florida resident, was only able to restore her driving privileges by paying more than a $1000 in reinstatement costs and to get on a payment plan.

Personal Narrative: Jean

Jean didn't know her license was suspended until an officer told her during a routine traffic stop. Her license was suspended for nonpayment of traffic tickets she received years prior. Just when she thought she had taken care of all of her court debt, her license was revoked and she faced additional issues after she relocated.

Chicago Ordinance O2019-5547: Regarding wheel tax license fees, violation fines and payment plans

This resolution ends driver’s license suspensions for unpaid parking tickets in Chicago, restructures payment plans, reduces the late penalty for city sticker tickets, and reinstates a 15-day grace period after stickers expire. The reform is expected to produce as much as half a billion dollars in debt relief.

Proportionate Financial Sanctions: Policy Prescriptions for Judicial Reform

In this report, the Criminal Justice Policy Program (CJPP) at Harvard Law School proposes a framework where courts would impose means-adjusted fines as a proportionate sentence for an offense. The authors assert that by adopting the proposed recommendations, courts can ease or prevent the worst harms that excessive financial sanctions create for poor people without waiting for legislative reforms.