Carrie talks with Leisa Mosely of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen, who posted a bill last week decriminalizing traffic tickets. So, if you can't pay your fine, and you get pulled over again, you won't get taken to jail.
Two bills are making their way through the Assembly right now that will have a big impact on how we handle traffic violations.
AB116, introduced by District 10 Assemblywoman Rochelle Wwyn, would make traffic violations - and their attendant fees - a civil rather than a criminal violation. That means if people don’t pay their fees, government entities in Nevada cannot put them in jail.
AB151, sponsored by District 16 freshman Assemblywoman Cecilia Gonzalez, would make it against the law to take someone’s driver’s license away for unpaid traffic fines.
Thousands of people a year end up in jail because they can’t afford to pay their fees, or have their license suspended but still must get to work. This often means loss of job, loss of homes, loss of residency status. All for making a right turn on red when they weren’t supposed to.