[A] House panel has moved forward with legislation to reform the way Vermont deals with suspended driver’s licenses.
The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Friday in support of H.571, a bill that tries to make it easier for Vermonters to address traffic tickets, in hopes that fewer residents will have their driver’s licenses civilly suspended for failure to pay fines.
Under the program, anybody who has an outstanding ticket for a traffic violation from before Jan. 1, 2015, can apply to pay the ticket off at a reduced rate of $30 apiece.
People with outstanding tickets from between Jan. 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, will have the opportunity to apply for a reduced fine based on the ability to pay.
Rep. Maxine Grad, D-Moretown, said the program would be an important step toward “geographic justice” — allowing Vermonters across the state an equal opportunity to wipe their records clean.
The bill follows two regional “driver restoration days” held in the past year — one in Chittenden County and the other in Windsor County — where Vermonters could pay reduced fines.
“Giving that opportunity to other Vermonters I think will be significant to get people back on track,” said Grad, the bill’s sponsor.
The legislation also authorizes the state to move forward with dismissing outstanding traffic offense tickets from before July 1, 1990.
Some 26,260 people lost their driving privileges because of those tickets, but a fire damaged much of the paperwork involved with those tickets — leaving them in limbo. This bill would clear those drivers’ records.
Going forward, the bill enhances an existing program that allows Vermonters to set up a payment plan to pay off traffic tickets. If they’re unable to pay them in one lump sum, they can pay in monthly increments of $30.
The bill is in part the result of a study and task force proposal regarding driver’s license suspension. The group of prosecutors, state officials and others met through the summer and fall to recommend how the Legislature could revise laws to remove the economic barrier that keeps many Vermonters from regaining their driving privileges.
The task force found that some 59,000 Vermonters have a suspended driver’s license.
The legislation would remove license suspension as a penalty for certain offenses that are not related to driving. If the bill passes, underage drinking, smoking or marijuana possession will carry steeper fines, but will not result in license suspension.
Rep. Chip Conquest, D-Wells River, said he believes the bill will not only make the system easier to navigate and result in fewer civil suspensions for failure to pay fines. He also thinks it will make the roads safer.
Conquest helped the committee redesign the system so it is easier to have a driver’s license suspended based on points than it is for failure to pay a fine.
“The points system gives a better indication that someone is actually operating in a way that we all agree is dangerous,” Conquest said.
Overall, Conquest is optimistic that the legislation would be a boon for many residents of the state.
“I think it’ll have a really important impact on tens of thousands of Vermonters,” Conquest said.
