California Governor: Driver's License Penalty Harms The Poor

SARAMENTO (AP) — California's governor wants courts to stop suspending driver's licenses because of unpaid traffic fines.

Gov. Jerry Brown says the practice hurts those who can't afford to pay and doesn't help the state collect. Brown calls for ending the practice as part of his budget proposal.

State Sen. Robert Hertzberg introduced a bill Wednesday to ban the practice. The Van Nuys Democrat says it would not prevent courts from suspending licenses for bad driving, but instead protect people from having their licenses suspended simply because they couldn't afford a traffic ticket.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles says about 613,000 Californians have their licenses suspended for unpaid traffic tickets or missing related court appearances.

Opponents have said such a change would make it harder for the state to collect unpaid fines.

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