04/18/1994 01:55 PM Senate JUD

 SENATOR TAYLOR brought  SB 166  (DRIVER'S LIC REVOC;PARKING                   
 AUTHORITIES) before the committee as the next order of business.              
                                                                               
 JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor                    
 Vehicles, Department of Public Safety, directed her comments to a             
 proposed Judiciary CS.                                                        
                                                                               
 Ms. Hensley explained the bill will allow the court to suspend a              
 drivers license of anyone who fails to appear in court or fails to            
 pay a fine for a moving violation.  It will also allow putting a              
 hold on the vehicle registration electronically for unpaid parking            
 fines that will require full payment of all of an individual's                
 parking fines before their vehicle can be re-registered.  The                 
 actual notice of the suspension from the court would be the traffic           
 citation that the person is being issued.  That traffic citation              
 will be revised to be the actual notice of suspension, so, if an              
 individual fails to pay the fine or fails to appear in court, the             
 court can then suspend their driving privilege until the individual           
 meets all of the requirements.                                                
                                                                               
 Number 255                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR noted the states of Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and             
 California are using this same concept, and he commented this would           
 save Alaska's law enforcement people a lot of time because they are           
 constantly having to go out and serve bench warrants and do checks            
 on various people.                                                            
                                                                               
 Number 264                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LITTLE asked how the suspension of the drivers license                
 would occur.  MS. HENSLEY responded that the traffic citation                 
 issued to an individual on the spot will be revised to provide that           
 it is a notice of license suspension if the individual fails to               
 appear in court or fails to pay a fine for the offense.                       
                                                                               
 Speaking to the fiscal note, MS. HENSLEY pointed out that the court           
 system has advised that there are 25,000 failed to appear or failed           
 to pay traffic fines a year.  It is estimated that the court will             
 suspend 10 percent of those.  Based on historical background from             
 the Division of Motor Vehicles, 90 percent of all people whose                
 licenses are suspended or revoked will come in and reinstate.                 
                                                                               
 Number 311                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY referred to the language on page 2, line 6,                    
 "register the applicant's vehicle" and suggested changing it to               
 "any vehicle owned by the applicant," because an individual may own           
 more than one vehicle.                                                        
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR moved that CSSB 166(JUD) be adopted.  Hearing no               
 objection, it was so ordered.                                                 
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY moved his suggested amendment to page 2, line 6.               
 Hearing no objection, the amendment was adopted.                              
                                                                               
 Number 338                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LITTLE asked why Sections 4 and 5 of the original bill were           
 deleted in the committee substitute.  MS. HENSLEY clarified that              
 those sections dealt with reinstatement fees, and with them in the            
 bill, the state would not have been able to recoup the costs of               
 operating this program.  She said it takes a certain amount of work           
 to reinstate a drivers license, and these individuals should be               
 subject to the same $100 reinstatement fee as anyone else whose               
 license is suspended or revoked.                                              
                                                                               
 Number 359                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR asked for the pleasure of the committee.                       
                                                                               
 SENATOR LITTLE moved that CSSB 166(JUD), as amended, be passed out            
 of committee with individual recommendations.  Hearing no                     
 objection, it was so ordered.