A bill that will stop license suspensions based on unpaid parking tickets is heading to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk. Senate Bill 1786, known as the License to Work Act, passed yesterday which prevents license suspensions for non-moving violations. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin voted in favor of the bill: “I don’t know when we got in the process of suspending licenses for unpaid parking tickets, but it just doesn’t make sense. Let’s get people back doing what they need to be doing like going to work or picking up their kids from school.”
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 50,000 thousand Illinois residents licenses are suspended due to the inability to pay tickets, fines, or fees; or for other reasons unrelated to bad driving. Supporters of the bill say that it will still allow those with tickets to return to work and make money to pay off their fines – ending a circle of poverty.
If the bill is signed, it would take effect on July 1st.