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Prosecutors altering charging decisions to avoid Driver Responsibility surcharge

Criticisms of Texas' Driver Responsibility Surcharge arose at a hearing of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee yesterday on DWI policy, and Mike Ward at the Statesman reports ("Overhaul of DWI laws may be coming," July 9) that "much of the criticism came from police and prosecutors ? who in years past have championed many of the programs they now say are not working."Peggy Fikac at the Houston Chronicle ("Houston lawmaker decries hefty DWI surcharge," July 9) wrote that:[Chairman John] Whitmire, D-Houston, said lawmakers should modify and consider repealing the Driver Responsibility Program, which includes a surcharge of $1,000 annually for three years for first-time driving-while-intoxicated offenders. The many motorists who do not pay face suspension of their driver's licenses, which Whitmire and law officers said means more people on the road without licenses or insurance...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on July 09, 2010 (boomark / email).