Kaine signs bill to repeal abusive driver fees, give refunds

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By Julian Walker
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 28, 2008

RICHMOND

The highly unpopular abusive driver fees approved by the state legislature last year are officially roadkill.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed two bills Thursday that rescind the fines. The repeal is effective immediately.

The bills provide a mechanism to refund individuals who have already paid the fines. The legislation also gives motorists an opportunity to restore their drivers licenses if they were revoked for failure to pay the fees.

Lawmakers last year passed the higher-than-normal fines for certain driving convictions as part of a plan to finance road projects throughout Virginia.

In some instances, the abusive driver fines - which sparked online petitions that collected thousands of signatures - were as much as $3,000.

The fees also faced several challenges in courts across the state. In separate rulings last year, judges in Portsmouth and Virginia Beach upheld the legality of the fines.

"After six months of implementation, it was clear that the fees did not improve the safety of Virginia highways," Kaine said in a written statement announcing action on the two bills. "The citizens of Virginia expressed concerns regarding these fees, and based on these concerns, I have signed the bills that repeal the fees."

One of the repeal bills was sponsored by Sen. Edward Houck, D-Spotsylvania.

"Back in the summer when I announced I would be filing the bill for the repeal, I talked about driving a stake in this beast's heart," Houck said Thursday.

"To me, today the stake is finally in the beast's heart," he said. Kaine's repeal of the bills is the end of a serious mistake by the legislature, Houck said.

Similar legislation sponsored by Del. Tim Hugo,

R-Fairfax, was also signed by the governor Thursday.

Individuals who have already paid the fees will receive refunds from the state. Outstanding balances still owed will be forgiven.

However, court fines owed in connection to driving convictions that carried an abuser fee still must be paid.

Drivers who lost licenses for nonpayment of bad driver fees can have their privileges restored by the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Abusive driver fees were supposed to raise about $65 million annually towards state road costs.

Since July 1, when they were enacted, only about $13 million were assessed, of which $4 million was collected.

More than 37,000 convictions carried abusive driver fees from July through December, according to the Virginia Supreme Court.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com

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On WVEC last night

Submitted by am81430 on Fri, 03/28/2008 at 11:04 am.

They cited the inability for the fees to cover road expenses as the reason for the repeal. Classic. I guess that I was asleep for the past year and the outrage was only in my dreams...What spin.

I'm sorry........

Submitted by wescobra on Fri, 03/28/2008 at 10:33 am.

You broke the law and now you have to pay? Boo Hoo!! Why shouldn't lawbreakers pay fines, and then more for repeat offenses?! It's obvious the original fines weren't enough, if violations aren't going down, then the fines need to go up!! What are we really trying to accomplish here? Making our roads safer by hitting people where it matters to affect change or find a pleasant low cost way to collect money?! And also, the only people that don't want the stoplight cameras shouldn't be doing things out in public that they don't want the public to see!! Clean up your act lawbreakers, there's a new sheriff in town, and we're called the 'Law Abiding Decent Citizens of Hampton Roads'.

What a debacle!

Submitted by jack_mclovin on Thu, 03/27/2008 at 8:32 pm.

The buffoons who voted for this idiodic measure - particularly the Republicans (we expect this kind of nonsense from democrats) - will forever be remembered for the boneheads they are.

The only thing wrong with it

Submitted by georges61555 on Thu, 03/27/2008 at 5:39 pm.

The only thing wrong with the bill was it didn't apply to everyone driving in Virginia. Maybe it wasn't making as much money as proposed, but we need all the help we can get in funding transportation. There is nothing wrong with "Virginia Is For Safe Drivers"!

Finally

Submitted by Troll_Hunter on Thu, 03/27/2008 at 5:18 pm.

This should never have been an issue in the first place. When less than 20% of the population votes on the states representatives, this is the kind of idiocy we can expect.

So will they admit they were wrong?

Submitted by jimmyf on Thu, 03/27/2008 at 4:59 pm.

I remember how much lawmakers and the Gov lauded these draconian "Civil Penalties" as being good to promote highway safety and to raise money only on the "bad drivers"-those who abused the safety of others and placed them at risk. But when little bluehaired old ladies started getting clobbered with these fees that exceeded their monthly income, when the money lawmakers were drooling over the projects they would spend the fees on never materalized and when Virginian's STOOD UP, the government backed off and overturned these idiotic fees. To everone who wrote, called or signed the petition, congratulations, WE WON!

To lawmakers, you'd do well to remember that you work for us, not the other way 'round.