Secretary Johnson: Driver Responsibility Fee elimination great day for drivers

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson issued the following statement about Gov. Snyder signing legislation to fully eliminate Driver Responsibility Fees:

“What a great day for Michigan drivers,” Johnson said. “I want to thank Gov. Snyder, all the lawmakers who voted for this and all the work my staff has put in over the years to get rid of this automatic double-penalty that was hurting hard-working Michigan families. Too many Michigan drivers lost their license because of Driver Responsibility Fees that didn’t promote public safety but did make it harder for people to pick up their kids from school or get to work.”

As a state representative in 2003, Johnson voted against Driver Responsibility Fees. As secretary of state, she has pushed for repealing the Driver Responsibility Fee law, successfully advocating that lawmakers eliminate the most common fees in 2011, create a community service option for certain fees in 2015 and begin phasing out all fees.

Driver Responsibility Fees are an additional fee automatically charged for various traffic violations, including non-moving violations, on top of regular traffic citation fines and court costs. Unlike traditional court fines and fees in which a judge can take into consideration a driver’s ability to pay and order alternatives, such as payment plans or community service in lieu of payment, the automatically assessed Driver Responsibility Fees cannot be waived or reduced by a judge.