A bill to end the practice of suspending offenders’ driver’s licenses for a failure to pay fines was voted down overwhelmingly in the House on Wednesday, after concerns were raised about the effect on restitution.
Senate Bill 623, by Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, was written to apply to people who had failed to pay their court-ordered costs. In committee, bill supporters said it would not apply to people who had failed to pay restitution, which is money paid to victims to recoup their losses.
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However, on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Carol Dalby, R-Texarkana, said the definition of “fine,” written elsewhere in the code, includes restitution. Dalby, a former district judge, said judges already use their discretion to not take away an offender’s license if it is needed to get to work or for other purposes.
After Dalby’s comments, the House quashed SB623 by a vote of 19-69. Even the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, did not vote for the bill, though he was in his seat.
— John Moritz