An Illinois House committee meets today to vote on a bill that would end driver’s license suspensions for unpaid parking tickets.
For many people, a suspended license could mean the loss of job opportunities, since some employers require a license not only to have a job, but even to apply.
State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, says license suspensions for unpaid fines disproportionately affect poor and minority residents.
“Black drivers are three times more likely to be stopped by the police than any other drivers in our city,” Ammons said.
Speaking on the public media talk showThe 21st, Ammons says the goal is to stop license suspensions for things that are not related to driving or public safety.
The strongest opposition to the License to Work Act is expected to come from the City of Chicago, which collects hundreds of millions annually from tickets.
But Ammons says the bill could result in cost savings by keeping people who can’t afford to pay parking fines out of jail.
“How many people sit in jail, because they can't pay and got arrested driving on a suspended license? And then later lost their job as a result, lost their housing as a result, right? This is a long-term problem that needs to be fixed,” she said.
A similar bill last year was unsuccessful.