Help Me Oppose the Driver "Responsibility" Act

[Richardksly]

Hey guys, good news! Thanks to anyone who contacted their rep. to help support the bill. Yesterday the House voted unanimously 107 to 0 to pass the partial repeal on lesser D.R.A. fines. If it is finalized it's expected to go into effect in September 2012 which will toss out the D.R.A. fines for lacking a license on hand, as well as the fine for lacking insurance/lacking proof of insurance on hand.

Here are some links on the announcement:
http://miserybay.usanethosting.com/w...011/11/travel/
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article....type=newswires

"These fees have become a pure money grab for the state," said Nesbitt, R-Lawton. "The state should not be in the business of fining someone twice just because it can. This law has punished our state's poor and working families for too long."

The bill begins the elimination of the so-called “driver responsibility fee” law, which now leaves the House and goes to the Senate.

“I am extremely happy to see the State of Michigan finally take real steps to phase out what I think everyone now agrees is a terrible law,” said Opsommer, R-DeWitt. “This law frequently made people pay twice for the same infraction, sometimes elevating the impact of even minor tickets to the point where people could simply not afford them and were seeing their licenses revoked. Driving privileges should only be revoked for reasons dealing with real safety issues, and the right of people to travel should not be impeded by those in government who wish to use driver’s licenses as a device to manipulate and control taxpayers. Only in the most egregious of circumstances should people lose their licenses for parking tickets or other non-moving violations.”

Opsommer pointed out that many governments are using driver’s licenses and tickets as leverage against taxpayers who know that in many cases their jobs, and livelihood, are linked to their ability to drive. Toll revenue in other states is being diverted to pay for non-road projects, and red light camera and automated ticket schemes are fleecing drivers of millions of dollars.

This is the beginning of the end hopefully for the DRA! Unfortunately this partial repeal falls short of the ideal; simply tossing the whole law out and purging everyone's fines. But there is still a brand new DRA repeal bill in the House which can soon commence being considered.
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/[[S[[gsb...e=2011-HB-4816

What we must do now is support the bills sponsor and INSIST that it remain un-meddled with by amendments to weaken it. In order to entirely repeal it and nullify fines already due and ensure these victims are no longer criminals. Again I'd like to encourage anyone to join my DRA repeal facebook group and keep up on the news to accomplish total repeal Thanks.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/268126209898405/