Bill Would Stop Fee-Based Driver's License Suspensions
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A measure with bipartisan support in Maryland would stop the state from suspending a driver's license due to unpaid traffic fines.
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh supported the measure during a news conference with lawmakers on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of people have lost the privilege to drive because they have been unable to pay fines and fees that have piled up, sometimes from "very trivial traffic violations," Frosh said.
Some have even gone to jail after being forced with the decision to either drive to work on a suspended license or lose their jobs.
Senate President Bill Ferguson said it's time to rethink state policies that are punishing people who live in poverty.
"This is a very important initiative to ensure that just because somebody may be impoverished or maybe struggling to pay a bill, they don't lose their right to travel and to go to their place of work," Ferguson said.
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