Lawmakers Advocate Ending Driver Responsibility Program
Three Texas lawmakers announced Thursday that they are pushing legislation to end the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, an initiative that was started to raise funds for trauma hospitals through surcharges on driving offenses.
State Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, was joined by state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, and state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, in announcing House Bill 104, legislation that would repeal the 10-year old program. All three lawmakers say that though the program was created with good intentions, it has created a headache for many Texans.
Turner, who authored the original bill that created the program in 2003 ...
Comments (6)
David Spratt
Wow, way to go. Why fine them at all to begin with, after all they cannot afford to pay? More liberal BS making the violator the victim , and excusing them from responsibility since it creates an inconvenience for them. . Why not throw these people in jail? Amazing how fast they can come up with money then to get out. !! Who cares if it creates a headache for them ? They caused their own problems ,,, nobody made them violate the traffic laws and according to the ones pushing this bill they continue to violate them all the while thumbing their noses. The same mentality towards this illegal alien problem,, after all just give them a pass they cannot help the fact they ignored the law and it would create an inconvenience for them if we actually enforced the law.
yana guana
Mr. Spratt, what you say is very logical.
However, it can also be argued that those who can afford to pay tickets and never have second thoughts about their violations are the ones that are thumbing their noses at the law. It is what it is, can you afford to break the law?
Jason Griggs
Throw them in jail? For not paying a surcharge? For offenses they've already served time/payed fines for the first go around? That's about as unconstitutional as it gets, only a step further than what's already been done to these people. Mr. Spratt, not only are you dead wrong about the "mentality", but you should take a good look around and decide whose side your on. It's obviously not the USA. I feel shame to know you're walking around blabbing a hideous opinion like that, and probably aren't alone. Then again, who knows. Most people who post online say things they're far too cowardly to say aloud.
Bill Lewis
How can a program that has generated $370 million be called ineffective? The fiscal note on this bill in the last session was something like $280 million. I have no confidence that the legislature will find some other way to replace those funds later. Surcharges are assessed on the most serious offenses, DWI. Drivers who commit less serious offenses, like speeding, have to accumulate points before the surcharges kick in, so you don't pay a surcharge because of one speeding ticket. You pay a surcharge after you get several speeding tickets in a certain period of time. Only the worst drivers, drunks and repeat offenders, pay surcharges. They're the ones who send people, including themselves to the hospitals. Why shouldn't they pay for the harm they cause?
Jason Griggs
Well, they have paid. That's the whole point. Why pay for the same crime 3 times? What's next? 4 times? 5?
Sean Anderson
It is not just major offenses. I'm currently dealing with this situation for a no-insurance ticket that I received while my insurance card had expired and I was awaiting a new copy of my insurance card. I've had car insurance through Progressive since I was 16. I have never had a DWI or any alcohol-related offense. This occured while I was in college at UNT and my mailing address was registered to my parents because I lived in the dorms. My parents lived in Colorado so I never received a notice from the DPS about my surcharges until they had already suspended my DL. I found out about this whole situation because I was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding and received a invalid DL ticket instead. Of course, this cause more surcharges to be issued compounding upon the ones that had already been generated that I was unaware of. So, NO, it is not just major offenses. You people should really know what you are talking about before you open your mouths.
Also, the real point here is the issue of double jeopardy. How many times are we going to allow our citizens to be punished for minor (misdemeanor) crimes? Why even set a limit? Let's just keep chatrging them fees that will continue to go to collections because they dion't have a valid DL to get a car or insurance for a car, or, hell, make it to work. These are crimes that have already had their penalties paid.
Also if you do even more research, you will find that some of the money generated by this act has actually been used to balance the horrible budget crisis in Texas, which still has not been balanced. These funds aren't even fully going towards the program they were supposed to fund in the first place.
*mic drop*