Posted on 07/30/2010 9:19:55 AM PDT by MichCapCon
Motorist with three unpaid parking tickets at one time should be looking warily over their shoulder at what state politicians are doing with legislation that has cleared the Michigan House but come to a stall in the Senate.
The bill would have the Secretary of State deny a driver license renewal to any motorist with as few as three unpaid parking tickets. It cleared the Michigan House last October on a vote of 68-37. But on June 30, when it was brought up for a final passage vote in the Senate, the chamber overwhelmingly rejected it with a vote of 14-23.
A motion to reconsider the defeat was then adopted, allowing the Senate to try another vote at a later date.
Under current law, a local court may refer a motorist with six or more unpaid parking violations to the Michigan Secretary of State. Once alerted, the SOS may not issue a driver license renewal until the person has paid all outstanding parking ticket balances and late fees and paid a $45 "driver license clearance fee." The Schmidt bill would reduce this threshold to three unpaid tickets.
The real issue is money for municipal governments.
Albert C. Mooney, Grand Rapids City Treasurer, submitted supportive testimony regarding HB 4726 to the House committee that first looked at the bill during October 2009. Noting that the city then had more than $3.5 million in uncollected parking fines, he predicted that passage of the bill would boost collections by as much as $500,000 for the first year and then provide more than $250,000 in additional collections for each year after that.
Summarizing the bill's intent, Mooney states at the outset that "The proposal is very straight forward - the bill helps cash strapped local units by using existing technology to collect parking fines."
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
True. But the boot usually happens when you are parked in a perfectly good spot legally. Back to the three ticket issue again I guess,
“Obamacare is no different than parking laws?”
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Obamacare is more massive, but otherwise similar in kind to using parking fines as a source of revenue.
Parking meters are supposed to be used to prevent long term parking in commercial zones.
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Someone forced you to park illegally?
I freely admit that VERY niave about parking. I have not ever had problems with parking. One parking ticket a few years ago in a town I seldom go to for misreading the parking rules sign. I promptly paid it. It would not have crossed my mind to not pay it and deal with whatever consequences eventually found me.
Otherwise, I never pay for parking or have trouble finding a free space.
I know that you have to be more intelligent than the posts you are making.
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The primary objection to ObamaCare has been that it’s mandatory and unavoidable. There’s no choice.
Completely unlike parking tickets.
In my county they have meters at the courthouse where a person must go to pay taxes, get permits, license plates, etc. IMO it is wrong to charge for parking at such venues. I’m reasonably certain they would charge an admission fee to the building itself if they thought they could get by with it. LOL
Never been stuck in a meeting or anything like that huh?
Parking fines are just like Ocare on a smaller scale.
Gotta watch?
Awful. Pam Byrnes supported this of course. I’m shocked Brater didn’t vote for this mess.
I'm sure you break the law every day and not even know it.
I broke the law today. I backed out of my drive.
As the left says —the problem is too big, the system is broken —too many illegal parkists! We need parking reform -why not grant amnesty?
I suppose I have to concede that point.
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