Activists Sue Texas Leaders Over Controversial Driver Responsibility Program
A national civil rights nonprofit sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and four Texas Department of Public Safety officials Wednesday in an effort to kill a controversial Texas program that the group says has caused the suspension of 1.4 million Texans' driver's licenses.
Texas' Driver Responsibility Program imposes surcharges on those drivers who do things like driving without a licence or driving under the influence. The surcharges, which are imposed on top of the standard fines, range from $250 per year for three years for driving with an invalid license to $2,000 per year for three years for a DWI in which the driver is caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.16 — twice the legal limit — or higher. Drivers who accumulate too many points on their licenses for moving violations or moving violations resulting in a crash are also subject to surcharges.
According to Phil Telfeyan, the lead attorney in the case and executive director of Equal Justice Under Law, the group behind the lawsuit, the surcharges are a poverty trap. Drivers get behind on their payments and lose their licenses, causing a cascade of negative consequences like job loss and homelessness.
“This unfair license suspension scheme particularly targets Texas’ most impoverished residents, who are often unaware additional charges are owed under the DRP,” Telfeyan says. “Individuals who cannot pay will often lose their job and their home — becoming homeless — for a minor ticket that wealthier drivers simply pay and forget.”
Read more: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-sued-over-license-surcharges-11401612