WASHINGTON — A DC Councilmember just introduced three pieces of legislation aimed at changing the way the District tickets drivers. Councilmember Trayon White announced the legislation at a press conference Wednesday.
The trio of bills would eliminate the current doubling of fines for failing to pay parking and traffic tickets within 30 days, allow vehicle registration despite unpaid parking debt and create a ticket amnesty program to allow previous ticket doubling to be waived to allow D.C. residents an opportunity to satisfy ticket debts.
"The doubling of traffic fines after 30 days has not proven to improve traffic safety or encourage compliance with traffic laws. This is imaginary money that the District is counting that is not being collected," White said in a statement.
White called D.C.'s ticket penalty system broken. According to recent Department of Motor Vehicle data, 90% of outstanding tickets are linked to vehicles registered outside of D.C.
“There is an overwhelming amount of ticket fines that are due but not being collected, but harsh penalties are only affecting District residents," White said.
Here's a look at the legislation White has introduced to address the issue.
The Fair Motor Vehicle Fines and Penalties Amendment Act of 2024 would:
Prohibit parking debts from doubling and limits a reasonable penalty of $10 to $15 to cover the cost of collections. Parking debts would be subject to a reasonable penalty after 90 days.
The Ticket Amnesty Amendment Act of 2024 would:
Grant a 6-month period where penalties (doubling of fees) on past traffic enforcement and automatic traffic enforcement (tickets from cameras) are waived. It allows residents to pay the initial amount owed at the initial infraction. The fair fines and penalties measure would eliminate the doubling of tickets as a fine and establish a penalty of $10-15 instead.
The Motor Vehicle Registration Access Amendment Act of 2024 would:
Allow an applicant to register a vehicle despite failure or inability to pay any unpaid debt to the District government, including traffic fines, penalties, and other debts. Under this legislation, the Mayor may limit one vehicle registered per resident for those with outstanding fines.