When Michigan lawmakers return to work in the new year they will be faced with a plan to forgive hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘driver responsibility fees.’
Republican House speaker Tom Leonard of Dewitt wants full forgiveness and says it will be one of his top priorities in the new year.
He says the fees which are assessed on top of traditional fines for driving infractions are unfair.
They were initially seen as a way to promote traffic safety.
Critics point out that drivers who cannot afford to pay the fees can lose their licenses, thus their ability to get to and from work.
Some 317-thousand state drivers currently owe the state a total of 594 million dollars in these driver responsibility fees.
The house and senate are trying to resolve bi-partisan plans on the issue.