LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — The State of Michigan imposed “driver responsibility fees” over a decade ago as a measure designed to pump money into a depleted state budget during some dark days in Lansing. Now there is a move to wipe them out.
Chronic bad drivers who had received multiple tickets or were caught with phony insurance forms were slammed with additional fees beyond traffic citations that had to be paid before licenses could be renewed, and the debt compounded when they weren’t paid.
Speaker Tom Leonard now admits that it was a huge mistake that ruined lives and left many of the working poor facing a crushing debt they could never pay, keeping them from driving, finding jobs, getting an education and enjoying life.
He says they will declare an amnesty on October 1st of next year, and there are several other bills that have been proposed to speed up the transition, waive fees and help restore drivers licenses to those hardest hit by the law.
300,000 Michiganders are banned from driving because they owe over $600-million in fees.
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson calls the fees a “painful chapter” in the state’s history that she will be happy to see come to an end, if the bills pass.
