The policy of taking away licenses for non-payment has been called a punishment for poverty. Not paying those fees currently leads to mandatory license suspension, which ends, at the earliest, only when the driver has enough money to pay what is owed. Tickets, fines, and court costs can add up to a substantial sum, to which is added at least one reinstatement fee - a total that is out of range of many people who don’t have a discretionary income, the bill currently before the Legislature argues. If the driver is convicted of another moving violation during the suspension - such as illegally driving without a valid license - the suspension is extended for 30 days.
The subsequent suspension lasts until the fine is paid.